What a coincidence; I go into my blog to create a post about what I thought are some things that Black people should finally admit to themselves, and up pops an email in my inbox about Dr. Bill Cosby and his remarks when he spoke in Chicago at the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition & Citizenship Education Fund back in 2004 (thanks Nita!). According to the email, Jackson invited Dr. Cosby to the conference to discuss his controversial remarks offered at an NAACP dinner in Washington DC back in May of the same year. Dr. Cosby stood by those remarks, saying:
“They are buying things for their kids…$500 sneakers for what? But they won’t spend $2oo for Hooked on Phonics!”
“There is a time, ladies and gentleman, when we have to turn the mirror around.”
“Before you get to the point where you say ‘I can’t do anything with them [black youth], do something with them.”
I, for one, agreed with EVERYTHING Dr. Cosby said in 2004, and what he said then is as equally pertinent and useful to us now. My absolute favorite quote during his speech at the PUSH conference was in reference to his detractors, who were trying in vain to hide the black community’s “dirty laundry”:
“Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it’s cursing and calling each other ni**as as they’re walking up and down the street.”
On to my list:
1. let’s admit that many of us have missed out on opportunities, mostly by our own doing, and are now angry with life. Yet, we seem to have grown rather complacent in our self-inflicted ‘oppression’ but look at others with contempt when they’ve taken advantage of similar opportunities; often referred to as ’hating’.
2. Let’s admit that we’ve become too casual with having and raising children.
3. Let’s admit that we cannot continue to blame white people for many of our afflictions in the black community.
4. As much as it pains us to hear our truth, let’s admit that we dont have as much of a problem with hearing about violence statistics when coming from a fellow black american as we do when those same statistics are coming from a white person.
5. Let’s admit that it’s NOT alright to be so heavily influenced by a make-believe lifestyle that is offered to our youth by hip-hop artists.
6. Let’s admit that there is an epidemic of single-parent homes, led by mostly women, in our communities.
7. Let’s admit that many of us are think that racism just magically disappeared once President Obama took office.
8. Let’s admit that we care more about money than we do education.
9. Let’s admit that many of us simply shake our heads when one of us destroys another, but are QUICK to call Al Sharpton to rally a protest march when one of us is threatened/harmed by the police or a non-black.
10. Let’s admit that we tend to forget all the sacrifices made by our elders, our forefathers and foremothers to ensure that we have equal rights and opportunities; all the dog bites, the fire hoses, the rocks, bats and brutal words thrown at them. How many lives were lost in order to wake up this nation so that we can finally have what’s due.
Visit BillCosby.com for audio excerpts of Dr. Cosby’s new book “Come On People: On The Path From Victims To Victors“
