Bill Cosby

Dr. William Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. (born July 12, 1937) is an American actor, comedian, educator, television producer and philanthropist.

Political views

Bill Cosby's sociopolitical views, especially about the African-American community, are quite complex and have often been reduced to a simplistic representation. He has a long history of philanthropic endeavors to encourage equality and advancement while other statements he made were taken by the U.S. public as being indictful of the Black Community.

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During the 1970's, Cosby was on the "enemies list" of President Richard Nixon.

Related Topics:
Enemies list - Richard Nixon

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He was the first bigtime entertainer to cancel an appearance in Cincinnati after a boycott was called in response to the 2001 Cincinnati Riots. His support of the Black community's struggle encouraged other stars to follow & was pivotal to demonstrate it was a nationally recognized incident.

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Cosby has been critical of Black communities regarding those who hold low standards and allowing fatherless single parent households, high crime rates, and high illiteracy rates. He encouraged ownership of those problems and a more proactive effort from within Black community to fix those problems. He expanded upon his remarks in San Jose, CA during an event to promote the Read-2-Lead Classic. The way his speeches were portrayed by popular media provoked a great deal of anger from black communities. U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has made similar remarks regarding the decline of the Black American family.

Related Topics:
San Jose, CA - Read-2-Lead Classic - Barack Obama

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The Ghettosburg Address

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In May 2004 as his address during the 50th Anniversary commemoration of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, Cosby made public remarks critical of those low-income Blacks whom he believed to be deprioritizing education in favor of sports and fashion. When his address was reported by the national media the headlines were very suggestive that Cosby placed the blame of socioeconomic disparity solely on the Black community.

Related Topics:
May - 2004 - Brown v. Board of Education - Blacks - Sports - Fashion

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:"Bill Cosby has more harsh words for black community" San Francisco Chronicle July 1 2004

Related Topics:
July 1 - 2004

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:"Bill Cosby Remarks Divide Black Community" Black America Web, May 31 2004 (Associated Press)

Related Topics:
May 31 - 2004

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There were other lead-in paragraphs that suggest a huge division:

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:CHICAGO ? Bill Cosby went off on another tirade against the black community Thursday, telling a room full of activists that black children are running around not knowing how to read or write and "going nowhere." Fox News, Friday, July 02, 2004 (Associated Press)

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Cosby again came under sharp criticism, and again he was largely unapologetic for his stance. Cosby made similar remarks during a speech on July 1 at a Rainbow Coalition meeting commemorating the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. During that speech, he admonished struggling young men to "stop beating up your wife because you can't find a job" and stated that Blacks had forgotten the sacrifices of those in the Civil Rights Movement. The talk was interrupted several times by applause and received praise from leaders such as Jesse Jackson.

Related Topics:
July 1 - Rainbow Coalition - Brown v. Board of Education - Civil Rights Movement - Jesse Jackson

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In the same speech he had scathing remarks for Christians and the police, as well as praise for the efforts of the Black Muslim and regular Muslims organization and its effectiveness, however, these statements were not reported in the articles in the mainstream media. Cosby later appeared on WBUR to talk about his Ghettosburg address and to commentate on his sayings and on the Black community as well (with the help of people who have experienced the 'ghetto life' and everyday critics).

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