Rudy Tabasa wasn’t looking to start a company when he made t-shirts that said “Half Breed” for himself and his family. He was showing his pride in being multi-racial and reaching out to other mixed-race people.

Once Tabasa started wearing his shirt, however, people started requesting them so he started selling them. One night he went down to the San Jose Improv and gave a shirt to San Jose-born comedian and MadTV alum Anjelah Johnson, who talked on-stage about being Native American and Mexican. When Tabasa posted a video of Johnson wearing the Half Breed shirt, his idea took off in the comedy world and beyond.

“I started realizing that there’s a community out there trying to build awareness about this,” says Tabasa. “There’s stuff that we can all relate to. The comedy thing just kind of organically rolled into everything that I was doing.”

He joined forces with Bay Area comedian Ricky Del Rosario (HBO and NBA All Star Weekend) and they came up with the idea of doing the Half Breed Comedy Tour with Del Rosario—who has worked with Andrew Dice Clay, Carlos Mencia, Lewis Black and Nick Cannon—as the headliner.

“Ricky is really my partner leading the charge with this tour,” says Tabasa. “He brings a form of comedy that is very quick-witted and animated with lots of physical humor. His new show is going to be pretty hilarious.”

Gearing up for big things, the Half Breed Comedy Tour kicks off on Sunday, August 28 at the San Jose Improv with a show featuring Del Rosario, G King and Shawn Dizzle. According to Tabasa, this is just the beginning.

“There’s a ton of multicultural comedians out there,” says Tabasa. “We’re hoping to beef up the tour with more well-known comedians to couple with Ricky and take it nationwide.”

A celebration of diversity and individuality, the Half Breed Comedy Tour is, as Tabasa puts it, a reminder that we’re all just one people.

“I want to make sure that people understand that Half Breed is more than just two races,” he says. “No matter how many races people are, or if they support multi-cultural relationships and believe in no color lines, Half Breed has something for everybody.”

Get Tickets and More Info on the Half Breed Comedy Tour at the San Jose Improv