The Underground Comedy Railroad Tour is an all-black comedy tour designed to showcase a segment of the population that isn’t always front and center in Canadian comedy.

Founded in February, 2013 by Montreal comedians Rodney Ramsey and Andrew Searles, the Underground Comedy Railroad Tour has been rolling through the nation ever since.

“Last year we did three cities [Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa],” Searles says. “This year, for our third annual tour, we’re taking it to a cross-country nine city tour [Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Toronto, Brampton and Montreal].”

“There are 10 comedians who will be participating in the tour this year,” Ramsey adds, “the majority of them being first generation Canadians with a Caribbean background. Everyone has their own unique style. Some are high energy and in your face, while others are subtle.”

As for the name of the tour, it aims to weave together history and comedy.

“Rodney came up with the title Underground Comedy Railroad Tour, which was perfect for the show,” Searles says. “It’s a name associated with black history, but it also signals to the audience, ‘Hey, it’s a comedy show too!’”

Ramsey says having the tour across Canada is not only beneficial to our nation’s sense of humour, but it’s also an asset to help develop a sense of unique identity for the Black Canadian population.

“I think this tour brings a perspective that has not yet been given a voice in this country,” Ramsey says. “There are many first generation Afro-Canadians still in search of identity. Unfortunately many look to the United States and emulate their culture. I believe the Underground Comedy Railroad can help give a voice to black Canada, so we can start building our own identity.”

The Underground Comedy Railroad has also incorporated other objectives in their vision for the tour, including establishing a face for Black Canadian comedians and providing different world views to the Canadian public.

“When we think black comedians, we often think about our Eddie Murphys, our Chris Rocks, the Dave Chappelles, but none of them are Canadian, and nobody can name a popular Black Canadian comedian,” Searles says. “So we wanted this show to showcase ourselves as ‘We’re Black! And we’re Canadian!’

“We also want to educate people through the power of comedy. We want to show people, the world view of an African-Canadian male or female… The more we educate people on subjects and issues through the power of comedy, the more they laugh about it, the more we laugh about it, the more the situation is diffused, and it’s no longer an issue that one won’t be informed about anymore.”

The Underground Comedy Railroad creates an atmosphere that not only has you laughing and learning, but is able to provide a vast range of comedic material that touches on all aspects of the tour’s reason to be.

“We’re channeling comedy, and Black history, and delivering it in one unique comedy show package,” Searles says.

Published in Volume 68, Number 21 of The Uniter (February 19, 2014)