Billy Kersands

Billy Kersands (c. 1842 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana – June 30, 1915 in Artesia, New Mexico) was an African-American comedian and dancer.

Modern commentators such as Mel Watkins cite him as one of the earliest black entertainers to have faced the dilemma of striking a balance between social satire and the reinforcement of negative stereotypes.

[2] Tom Fletcher wrote that "In the South, a minstrel show without Billy Kersands is like a circus without elephants.

When Kersands and other popular troupe members demanded higher pay and more favorable treatment, Callender dismissed them.

He also continued to play engagements with other companies, including Richard and Pringle's Georgia Minstrels in 1890 as one of "The Vestibule Car Porters and Drum Majors".

Kersands answered the inevitable question of why he had not made the move to vaudeville thus: "All of my money came from the people of the South, the white and the colored, while playing down there.

One observer remarked, "The slightest curl of his lip or opening of that yawning chasm termed his mouth was of itself sufficient to convulse the audience.

"[7] He could even fit several billiard balls or a cup and saucer into his mouth and still perform a dance routine or fill the theater with boisterous laughter.

Tom Fletcher wrote that while touring in England, Kersands told Queen Victoria that if his mouth was any bigger, his ears would have to be moved.

Other songs Kersands performed featured African American elements like talking animals and weak-versus-strong match-ups.

His popularity led many theatre owners to relax rules limiting black patrons to specific sections of the playhouse.