Day 28 of 28 – Black History Month – Bill Cosby

By: Ebonye Gussine Wilkins

Bill Cosby, born July 12, 1937, is most well known for his television shows such as Fat Albert, The Electric Company and The Cosby Show. While he has written over 10 books, one in particular I read several years ago, and found it to be a critical view of Black America.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the critical view is necessarily a bad one (though it was not well received by many in the Black community), but I think it is a book that should be read at least once. Cosby and Poussaint point out that while we had many reasons to be down and out for years, that isn’t a reason to stay down. Various excuses are given for why the Black community has not progressed as far as it should, yet the personal responsibility is missing.

It is a controversial book, and not well received, but I encourage you to read it and draw your own conclusions. After all, healthy debate of issues is one of the ways we challenge ourselves and learn from others’ experiences.

Photo: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Bill_Cosby_%282010%29.jpg