Cosby: Explain Culture, Instill Pride
Bill Cosby was back in my home state giving a strong message to kids. From Black Voices
Five minutes in, Bill Cosby interrupted Greenwood High School student Jocelyn Steele’s speech Thursday about youth taking control of their lives.
“Is this wonderful or not?” Cosby said. “She is telling you where the bridge is out.”
The comedian then instructed Steele to start over from the top but this time for the audience at Wesley United Methodist Church to encourage her. She did so, stopping only for cheers.
The moment fit Cosby’s message that blacks must explain their culture and instill pride in their children by age 12 or keep losing them to drugs, crime and teenage pregnancy.
“I want this culture back,” he said. “Explain black pride, and you start when you’re breast feeding.”Cosby spent the afternoon in Greenwood Thursday, leading a walk through South Greenwood that ended with a speech at Broad Street Park before heading to Wesley.
He recounted some things he had seen: litter-strewn yards, drug dealers on corners, tombstones turned over and grass grown up.
“Quit waiting for people to come and do things for you,” he said. “Nobody is showing any initiative. Cut your own grass for these lots that look so bad.”
After Greenwood Mayor Sheriel Perkins told him about struggles surrounding the Broad Street Pool during the integration era, he responded, “Hey man, make your own pool.”
[...]
Truly appreciating what black culture really is will cure many of the community’s ills, he said.
“The drug dealer is not in your culture, nor is the prostitute, nor is the glorified pimp if you teach black pride,” he said. “They have no pride. They don’t know their culture.”
If blacks get their culture together, it will stop their use of the n-word!“this degrading, horrible name with blood mixed in it, which the patriots mixed in it,” he said. “They did not come from Africa to here with that name. It was waiting for them.”
He warned against voting based only on race for both blacks and whites.
“You’ve got to put pressure on the promissory notes by these smiling people, these politicians,” he said. “Get that out of here. Get her out of here. Get them all out of here. Hold them all accountable.”
Cosby’s attire was as simple and straightforward as his message: gray Temple University sweats, tennis shoes and black sunglasses. Even though he talked about serious topics, his humor shone through at times.
- On sagging pants: “I never heard a girl yet say, You know, that’s a nice crack.’”
- On crime: “It’s not the Ku Klux Klan riding through your neighborhood. It’s somebody’s son, and you know the person. He’s black, and he wants some money so he can buy some crack.”
- On hair extensions: “Don’t pin Korean hair on a black head. If you’re going to love a black woman, love all of her.”
- On “street smarts”: “There’s no geniuses on the corner.”
- On children who joined him on the walk: “Somebody said, ‘Oh, they love him.’ I said, ‘No, they just want to be on TV.’”
- On parents who come to school and curse out teachers: “I’ve never heard where the teachers say, ‘let me blankety-blank you.’”
- On “Grand Theft Auto” video game: “Cost your mother $250 to buy that for you so you can practice your entrance exam (to prison).”His comments were filmed and will be used in a documentary along with scenes from his hometown of Philadelphia, Pa., according to Curressia Brown.The Mississippi Valley State University professor and her husband, Troy, helped bring Cosby back to Greenwood for the second time in two years.The purpose of his visit was to remember and celebrate the values of the past that can improve lives today, she said.
“There’s no excuse for us not knowing and appreciating our history,” Brown said. “Empowerment won’t happen to us. We have to do that for ourselves.”
Each of us must instill in our children an intense sense of responsibility, hard work and a sense of higher duty. It will take a lot of effort for us to see higher levels of literacy, tight family structures, and self-discipline.
Bill Cosby on David Letterman’s Show speaking about the 2008 election and its powerful message:
Filed under: Children's Issues
Although I agree with some of what Cosby said and why he said it the Cos still strikes me of a Eric Micheal Dyson; Someone who talks alot but does very little of anything.
In his mentality he’s still stuck back in 1950’s. Where “leaders” talk and others do.
Where’s Cosby program where he actually does the work of instilling black pride in the people? Is his program successful? If not , why should anyone listen to him if he doesn’t have inclination to do himself what he extrorts others to do.
Until the Cos can walk the walk and not just talk the talk he should ignored. Just the NGE say Show & Prove.
@ Hamza
Actually Cosby gives a lot of his own money away to hard working but needy college students every year to encourage them to stay in school and finish.
He puts his money where his mouth is.
@ Hamza
Cosby gives millions of dollars so to educational causes and to independent Black film projects also behind the scenes he and Belafonte gave money to both the “Civil Rights” leaders and “Black Power” leaders, so don’t sleep on Cosby. No don’t agree with all he does and says, that take away from the fact that he gives back more than most in his position.
Go Cosby. I admire him because he has the guts to say what no one else wants to say. Some people are just afraid to look at themselves in the mirror; there’s no hiding from the reflection other than the denial of turning your eyes away from it.
I feel like doing a piece on Cosby’s accomplishments but the net is so flooding with how bad Cosby is for telling the truth.
——————> On hair extensions: “Don’t pin Korean hair on a black head. If you’re going to love a black woman, love all of her.”
This is another subject all by itself. Hmm. Maybe I’ll tackle this today. I’ve had no time for anything lately…better enjoy it how I can.
Yes I’m aware of how Cosby spreads his welth around BUT giving money here and there,something All people of means should do, and NOT creating a program to actaully accomplish what he extorts other to do is till a copout.
Anybody can give speech! There very few that will actaully do the work. Whixh the problem why these issues are never dealt with and we canstantly,year after year hear these kind of speeches.
The Black Panthers was one the most successful groups in Black America because they would talk and then do and they tell the people what they did. The people could see for themselves whether or not the Panthers were real and not just talkers.
Compared that today Tavis Smily’s state of Black America forum , or whatever is called. A place where where we get alot talkers but very few of those peole actually do anythhig but talk about problems but never develop a program to successfully deal the problems they constantly talk about.
My opinion is unless you develop a SUCCESSFUL program that actually gives a solution to the problem you talk about you should shut your mouth and instead work on developing a program,group or organization.
The time for talkers have ended it’s time for the builders. More Booker T Washington’s and less WEB Dubois’
I don’t always agree with all Bill Cosby’s speeches , but I have to hand it him on this one.
I laughed at what he said about what Obama’s mom did with him about unfinished homework. I can definitely relate to that. I did not see the logic in this, but now looking back, I realized why she did it .If it wasn’t for my mother’s persistence on doing( and god knows I could feel Obama’s “pain” of getting up the wee hours of their morning doing it), I wouldn’t know where I’ll be.
Bill is also right on his other points.. I’ve never heard my folks or their peers or their peers mentioning anything bad about it. In general, just a culture to be proud of( and will continue to be proud of is spite of unfair portrayals plaguing it)
Yes, Bill is right, we do need to teach our kids about TRUE black culture. It’s not about the sagging pants, the disrespect to people etc. The culture that I would want for my kids to learn about is about Freedom fighters, inventors, respect, etc. The negatives that are mentioned in this article was something that was unheard of in their days. I may be far younger than my folks and to some of us it may seem old fashioned and stifling, but I continue to admire their upbringings.
This is quite a up-to-date info. I think I’ll share it on Twitter.
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