Black People : BILL COSBY (A YEAR LATER)

[Riada]

QUOTE=Cedric Denson

"I have been in the Black Community for 18 years, and the country for one year. You can take the Homeboy out the Hood, but you can't take the Hood out the Homeboy! As they say. Anyway, I know what is wrong with my community. I seen people who are in jail, or dead, or speaking like they have no sense growing up the in the same environment; they just got caught up in the drama, I did not. Only those who have true experience can help this problem, not someone who went to college and took a course in dealing with an at-risk environment."

****************************************

You mentioned "true experience" in the hood. I grew up in a poor, rural area, far-far from any hood. I went to college. I know many other people like me. Are you saying that only those people who have the "true experience" of growing up in the hood can get to the bottom of the problems there. What would you suggest that people like me do? What would you say Bill Cosby and people like him do? What would be most effective?

 

[Sekhemu]

Bill Cosby has nothing to prove to anyone. He grew up in the Projects of Philadelphia and has put his money where his mouth is. Thousands of black people have been able to go to college because of the generosity of he and his wife.

I had a cousin, named "bags" that played Jazz before passing away about 5 years ago, and would have Mr. Cosby and Dizzy over his house to play pool, and knew both of them well.

They would talk about how devoted the Cosbys were to enriching the lives our people, but the problem is very few people know either one of them on that level.

 

[Riada]

QUOTE=Sekhemu

Bill Cosby has nothing to prove to anyone. He grew up in the Projects of Philadelphia and has put his money where his mouth is. Thousands of black people have been able to go to college because of the generosity of he and his wife.

I had a cousin, nameb "bags" that played Jazz before passing away about 5 years ago, and would have Mr. Cosby and Dizzy over his house to play pool, and knew both of them well.

They would talk about how the devoted the Cosbys were to enriching the lives our people, but the problem is very few people know either one of them on that level."

*******************************

I just wonder why so many folks constantly criticize Cosby and Oprah on the different sites. I was on a site recently where some sistas were ripping Oprah to pieces.
From what I've heard, neither Cosby or Oprah has anything to prove. They've both paid their dues. Just like Cosby, Oprah also gives lots of money and "push" to Black folks, not just here but worldwide.

 

[KWABENA]

I just wonder why so many folks constantly criticize Cosby and Oprah on the different sites. I was on a site recently where some sistas were ripping Oprah to pieces.
From what I've heard, neither Cosby or Oprah has anything to prove. They've both paid their dues. Just like Cosby, Oprah also gives lots of money and "push" to Black folks, not just here but worldwide.

Riada:

I just wrote a nice long response to you in regards to what Cosby should be doing, but then the computer froze up like it usually does!

To make this short, Cosby and Oprah should not focus on the college crew, as much as they should the less-fortunate. Morehouse College is a good school, but I hear it from close Morehouse students of mine that the Morehouse staff is just as arrogant and conservative as any other HBCU! They don't deserve as much as they are getting. As a matter of fact, they are becoming picky! There are other HBCUs who have students who need help just as bad as those $30,000 schools! Then they need Oprah and Cosby's money?! Remember, Woe unto those who give to the rich!?

This is what Cosby and Oprah should do:

Go into the inner-city and:

Teach children how to read
Teach children how to write
Give them a hug
Tell them they love them
Intercede with "JaQuisha" and "Nashaan" instead of pick on them
Go into the inner-city Libraries
Visit Black Festivals

This is just a start.

CD

 

[Riada]

QUOTE=Cedric Denson

"Riada:
This is what Cosby and Oprah should do:

Go into the inner-city and:

Teach children how to read
Teach children how to write
Give them a hug
Tell them they love them
Intercede with "JaQuisha" and "Nashaan" instead of pick on them
Go into the inner-city Libraries
Visit Black Festivals

This is just a start."
********************************

Do you mean literally that Cosby and Oprah themselves should spend hours every week teaching kids how to read, write, etc.?

Maybe this is where the lack of communication comes in between the have and the have-nots because I think the “haves” think they should use their resources (networks, money, influence) to enable the “have-nots” to rise. The haves are a relatively tiny number of people in any group. Even if these two individuals were to do this, it would only put an invisible dent in the number of illiterate among us? Isn’t it far more effective for them to make it possible for you, me, and tens of thousands on our level to teach kids how to read and write, etc.? This would enable those tens of thousands to teach more and more and the cycle would continue. I think this is one reason why they write out big fat checks.

I think Cosby was trying to tell Black parents what to do when he made those controversial statements because we hear over and over that parents "just don't know what to do." It really is a complex problem because as you know, telling parents what to do, even when they ask for help, is not nearly enough because most of them just won't do what will make the difference consistently because they have a difficult life as well as different values and a different view of life.

IMO, the only thing that will make a difference in our community is to re-build the family system. Everything else is like putting a band-aid on a buckshot wound.