Bill Cosby’s fireside chat with College of Education postponed

Today’s ‘fireside chat,’ a forum for Temple education students to learn about issues facing future teachers – and highlighted by an appearance by university alumnus Bill Cosby – has been postponed.

Cosby had another scheduled event, according to Valerie Gay, director of Temple’s Development and Alumni Affairs. He asked for the event to go on as scheduled – without him – so a dialogue could be developed anyway, but plans to cancel the event were already underway, Gay added.

Cosby wants the events to be less about him than about the prospective teachers, she said.

Today’s event was scheduled for 4 p.m. and to be held in a room of the Liacouras Center. Another chat scheduled for April is still expected to run, in addition to another that might be added in March to replace this.

This was the second in this fireside series.

In other recent news, Cosby has announced his plans to release a rap album criticizing the genre, as reported by The Temple News.

Last fall, Cosby co-authored a book – called ‘Come on People’ – which offered his views and critiques of black American culture, a book reviewed by The Temple News.

He made a series of highly publicized media appearances to discuss the book, in conjunction with speaking on the issues he feels plague the black community, including an Oct. 18 plug on Larry King Live and one on Meet the Press on Oct. 14.

Cosby’s Temple appearances have been sporadic of late. He has not appeared at a Temple graduation ceremony or held his once-thought-to-be annual “Cosby 101″ since January 2004 allegations that he sexually harassed a former Temple employee.

Christopher Wink can be reached at cwink@temple.edu.

Bill Cosby isn’t speaking to us anymore

Despite repeated attempts to ask for an interview with Temple alumnus, booster and Board of Trustees member Bill Cosby, we, the 86-year-old newspaper of the community for which he is, invariably, the most public figure, haven’t heard back.

Even though we want to promote his new book, “Come on People,” which The Temple News reviewed without him last month.

Since the January 2004 sexual harassment allegations by a former official of Temple women’s basketball program, Cosby has only been on campus representing Temple officially twice, by my count.

Once for a small College of Education movie screening during September of last year and then in the wildly public announcement of the football team’s new uniforms last April when he dressed up in a throwback jersey and leather helmet.

He spoke to the track team before last year’s season, as reported by The Temple News, and has friendships with a handful of Temple administrators and staff, but beyond that, we get the feeling the Cos is rethinking his ties to this school.

Indeed, since those allegations, he hasn’t spoken at a Temple graduation, once a tradition, and hasn’t held “Cosby 101″ for incoming freshman, both of which he last did in 2004. He has spoken at other university’s commencements, though, as reported by The Temple News.

For that new book, which came out in October, I don’t need to mention that it burned to see Bill Cosby wearing a University of Massachusetts shirt in the book flap photo of him, seated alongside co-author Alvin Poussaint, even if Cosby went to graduate school there.

Now, to be fair, we haven’t been told no, but, it is tough to think so many emails and phone calls have been … misdirected. Come on, Bill, you’ll talk to the freakin track and field team, but not us?

Christopher Wink can be reached at cwink@temple.edu.

Come on, Bill: a review of Bill Cosby’s “Come on People”

It was around 2004 and the 50th anniversary of the Brown versus Board of Education Supreme Court decision that Bill Cosby began his transformation from legendary entertainer to third rail.

“People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education, and now we’ve got these knuckleheads,” he said addressing an audience in Washington back in the summer of 2005. “The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal. These people are not parenting.”

He has taken an active role in criticizing the shortcomings of black American culture, in the parenting, lifestyles and priorities. For it, he has gotten the Huxtable beaten out of him from black leaders, progressive whites, race commentators and activists of every other size, agenda and caliber.

He has tried to develop dialogue, through his discussions and speeches, even his Web site.

The thing is, news about Bill Cosby, who first went to Temple in the 1960s before leaving to pursue his comedy career, is intensely important to any Temple student worth the Hooter in their heart. And, you gotta at least respect someone for thinking an issue so important that he bets his career, his reputation is worth risking. The Cos has done both, news and risk, again.

Last month, Cosby and his longtime collaborator Dr. Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard professor of psychiatry, put out their latest attempt at enacting change, this a book from the world’s largest Christian publisher, Thomas Nelson, called “Come on People.”

The book is full of the things he has been saying in interviews and town hall meetings, at conferences and during speeches. Unabashed criticism for a sometimes undefined segment of the black population.

“…Black English in school and on the job gets the user nowhere,” Cosby and Poussaint wrote wrote.

For criticizing black slang, in addition to hip-hop music, materialism and other plagues they see in black culture, Cosby has been derided as a sell-out, his very authenticity as a black man questioned, despite his North Philadelphia upbringing, his seminal place as a black entertainer, and the reality of the place he seems to direct his words: the black community, not mainstream whites, as some have criticized his tenets most serve.

“When African Americans are committed to something, they make it happen,” he and Poussaint wrote. “The civil rights bills did not pass just because white people decided it was an idea whose time had come. We made it happen.”

“We all have some piece of Frederick Douglass in us… a slave wanting to read…” they continued.

Still, the criticism comes.

“While I don’t question his love for black people, his recent actions have appeared more venomous than valuable,” wrote Marc Lamont Hill, a professor of education at Temple, in the Baltimore Sun last month. “More condescending than caring and more hateful than helpful.”

At times, ‘Come on People‘ reads like an instruction manual – including things like advice about getting finances in order – but it is tough to believe those they hope to convince are going to read it. Community meetings might be a better forum, and I would be surprised if the Cos and his Harvard M.D. buddy didn’t realize. I suspect ‘Come on People’ is a way for him to promote his message, to get gigs on “Meet the Press,” as he did Oct. 14, and “Larry King Live” and other talk shows, as he has.

When this movement of his began back in 2004, Cosby told CNN that, “this is about little children, and people not giving them better choices.”

I can believe it. And, like most who aren’t living in the Richard Allen projects or Norris Homes, I agree. But what might matter most is the progress Cosby is making, which, sadly, appears to be not much. He hasn’t brought on enough high-profile black Americans to his side. Perhaps for the same reason his mission hasn’t caused much more than criticism. His influence may be waning, inching one of the most important, most iconic, most impersonated entertainers from the 20th century towards irrelevance.

Christopher Wink can be reached at cwink@temple.edu.

Cosby comments incite controversy

Bill Cosby and controversy have never been related terms – until recently, when Temple’s most famous graduate began to make known his opinions of African Americans in the United States.

Recently, Cosby has come under fire for making comments about the African American community. The comments began when Cosby gave a speech during the summer at a 50th anniversary celebration for the Supreme Court decision known as Brown v. Board of Education, which ended school segregation.

Cosby has said there are problems in the African American community like the juvenile delinquency rate, parenting, and prevalent use of coarse language by its young people. He blames parenting for these problems and lack of education on both the parents’ and the youths’ parts.

“Better schooling needs better money which will lead to better education,” said Temple sophomore Kadie Grisola in response. “If the schools are bad, he needs to give them money.”

Cosby has contributed quite a bit of money to students and institutions. He recently took two college-bound students on a college tour and is now paying for their education at Hampton University in Virginia.

Besides helping students who want to further their education, Cosby is also organizing town hall meetings in inner cities with various community leaders to get people to brainstorm ideas on how to give children better educational choices.

Cosby has been criticized for making these comments known to the entire country.

“I agree with what he says,” said senior Akeem Parsons. “However, voicing it publicly puts the whole race on trial. He’s risking the chance of stereotyping the whole race.”

Grisola is a student who feels that this isn’t a specifically racial issue.

“It’s not a racial issue,” Grisola explained. “It’s society and education. It’s a chain of effects. It starts with family background, not education.”

Cosby has also taken note of this and is trying to make stronger parents within the community. He has said to a reporter in Springfield, Virginia, “They’ve got the designer shirt, but no one’s telling them to study. People have to start seeing the light.”

Senior Lauren Highsmith agrees with Cosby’s remarks.

“He’s saying things that are true but people don’t want it publicized. You can’t be in this country and be African American and say it’s not true. If he didn’t say it someone else would have,” Highsmith argued.

Some students expressed concern about Cosby’s methods.

“If people feel personally attacked they may close themselves off and not be willing to change,” suggested sophomore Jessica Waybrant.

“He’s getting more of a negative reaction than if he delivered it a different way,” said junior Shannon Parker. “There’s a difference between encouraging and criticizing.”

Some, though, were satisfied with Cosby’s comments.

“I’m happy he’s saying something. Maybe people will make a change,” said Highsmith of Cosby’s comments. Highsmith feels that even though Cosby’s approach could be considered harsh, he is still getting his message across.

“Everything that he has said is supposed to be hush, hush, but he’s being so outspoken about it. Everything he said needed to be said. Everyone has a right to voice their opinion,” Highsmith said.

Hannah Davis can be reached at hdavis@temple.edu.