ONEIDA (NBC 26) — A local trailblazing comedian had his picture shared with the world this week.
Charlie Hill who passed away in 2013 was featured on the Google homepage on Wednesday.
He was an Oneida Nation tribal member and the first indigenous comedian to ever perform on national television.
"It was a pivotal moment for indigenous people across the world,” said Nasbah Hill, Charlie Hill's daughter.
It was in 1977 when Charlie appeared on "The Richard Pryor Show”.
"That was probably one of the most proudest moments of my dad's career. I'm getting chills. I'm going to cry. A couple of his close friends were there with him to to watch the live show, the filming,” Hill said. “When he got off the stage they just cried because he had made it. It was huge.”
And he didn't stop there, Charlie went on to appear on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and also found success through Roseanne and the Jay Leno show.
Nasbah said through it all, he used his platform to address harmful depictions of native people in entertainment.
"They wanted him to put on a head dress and a war bonnet and use this monotone language. My father turned it down. The money didn't matter,” Nasbah said.
So as Nasbah saw his picture on Google this week, she reflected on the amazing work her father had done.
"I had a few tears because it was so beautiful. It was the perfect creation and the artwork captured the essence of who he was,” Nasbah said.
The image was drawn by an indigenous artist from Thames, an Oneida Nation in Canada.
To read the original article that was attached to the Google Doodle on Hill's 71st birthday, visit google.com/doddle.
