The riot isn't seen in the movie, but it is alluded to. He has this one speech that gives a great sense of texture and paints a picture of what was happening in Harlem then.
“Art distills sensation and embodies it with enhanced meaning in a memorable form - or else it is not art.”
“I'm happy that I have brought laughter because I have been shown by many the value of it in so many lives, in so many ways.”