Bill Cosby fights the good fight - 10.31.2006.1

Sometimes I get the joy of speaking about things that entertainers are doing, especially when those entertainers are African American or Hispanic/Latino. In particular I am glad that Mr. Bill Cosby continues his efforts to highlight areas of problems in the Black culture and community. Better yet, unlike many Mr. Cosby is taking an active role in correcting those problems. That may draw the ire of some, but like Mr. Malcolm X once said (as I recall) ‘It’s the squeaky door that gets the fix.’ The fix in this case is desperately needed as dropout rates hit highs unseen before and single parent families are predominant in the Black community.

Recently Mr. Cosby has gone to Los Angeles and took to task the educators and parents of young African American students. As well he should, because it is the responsibility of both these groups to do more than just provide the minimum to children. It is not enough to expect rote memorization to provide the knowledge needed to do well in life. It is not enough to promote a dream of athletic prowess, without any thought of a back-up plan. It is far too little to believe that stardom in a mostly talentless industry will be the cure to all ills. Worse yet, acceptance of underperforming and allowance of a lifestyle that involves drug-use and misogyny and lack of self-responsibility are a plague in my view.

While some feel the comments made by Mr. Cosby are controversial, the fact is they are not. The controversy is really that there is something so critical to speak about. The fact that African Americans are failing to do well is not completely a white or governmental thing. To lay the blame just on their lap is to excuse the failures that have nothing to do with either. Bringing this fact to life is a benefit, one that should not be dismissed. If what Mr. Cosby has said is so wrong, I must ask why the problems are so severe today. If everything is ok, why are there so many that are dying and in jail and uneducated? The time to whisper has past decades ago, and action is needed. Thus I’m glad to hear Mr. Bill Cosby make waves, and I hope to add a few as well.

Along similar lines is news about Oprah. Ms. Winfrey recently gave away debit cards with $1000 each on them; the catch was that they could not be used on the recipients. It’s a nice idea. Similar to the one in the movie Pass It On. The $300,000 give away was sponsored by a bank, not by Ms. Winfrey, and it would be nice to see if the audience really helps communities and not just themselves in an extended manner.

There is no question that Ms. Winfrey does a great deal to help many world-wide. While I may fault her for not more visibly helping people in the United States, there is no question that she does. Yet with the direct connection to corporate sponsors, high visibility and wealth that she commands I have to wonder why she doesn’t have several episodes where communities get the same kind of aid.

But that is nit-picking on my part. The efforts that Ms. Winfrey has shown are extraordinary and like Mr. Cosby make a statement. Sadly few seem to heed the call, and they should. Instead of waiting for someone to claim they are a leader and hand a path to salvation to the Black community should take what has already been given. I can’t help but think that the efforts of African American entertainers and celebrities of the past are being squandered today.

Yes, Mr. Nat King Cole, Mr. Flip Wilson, Mr. Freddie Pinze, Mr. Sidney Poitier, and many others created the opportunity found now. Without Jackie Robinson there is no Michael Jordan, without Ray Charles there is no Wu Tan Clan. And without Malcolm X and Martin Luther King there is no Condelezza Rice or Colin Powell. But why is there at the same time such a rush to be criminals – or ‘thugs’ by popular terms? Why are women in the black community objects to be paraded in music videos, African American men striving to be plagues on the system as drug dealers? Why is the pursuit of a mind worth less today than perhaps ever before?

Of the centuries that our ancestors struggled to gain the right to read and be treated as equals, is the only benefit our chance to compete in games for the selfish monetary return it provides? I cannot agree that the only benefit of the past efforts is our increased ability to entertain the masses. Dr. Martin Luther King did not dream of an equal chance to ‘shake dat ass’ on an iPod. Mr. Malcolm X did not want to defend his life and family “by any means” so that his children could sell drugs, or have ‘baby-mama drama.’ Mr. Jackie Robinson did not endure the stresses of proving his abilities to hostile crowds so that drop-outs would have the inability to read about his challenges; and Mr. Richard Pryor didn’t make us laugh and think about what was inadequate so that the youth could use a term that is the single most offensive term in the English language as a greeting because they haven’t learned enough to know the words meaning and history.

Perhaps I’m too sensitive. Or perhaps I paid attention and remember the old NAACP ad “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

This is what I think, what do you think?