ABSTRACT
The vaudevillian, stand-up comic, and star of stage and screen Jackie “Moms” Mabley (1897-1975) had a long, productive career that spanned the years from the Harlem Renaissance through the black arts movement. Her original name was Loretta Mary Aiken; she claimed that she acquired her stage name by “taking it” from a Canadian-born boyfriend-they had only a brief relationship but she decided to keep his name because she liked it. Her ability to find humor in unlikely situations such as this one was something she attributed to her determination to overcome the many adversities she encountered in her daily life.
