Opening Up a Dialogue: Drs. Bill Cosby, Alvin Poussaint Issue 'Call to Action' to Black Community On Meet the Press, Sunday, Oct. 14

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"I keep thinking about a parent who's called in to the principal's office because the child is misbehaving, and so many teachers have said, 'And the parent comes in yelling at us that their child would never do that and why are they called', and all of a sudden it's no longer about, 'We're here to talk about making corrective behavioral changes in your child,' but about the parent who is using all kinds of language and threatening people. That is an unacceptable situation, which must be changed," [Bill Cosby] said.

"I have another friend who said to me, 'I write rap lyrics. And I went to work, and the executive said to me, 'I want lyrics about rape. Rape is good.' 'And I looked at the guy, and I said, you're talking about my mother.' And the guy said, 'Well, if you don't want to write it, then I'll get somebody else who will.'"

That is not to say, both Cosby and [Poussaint] were quick to point out, that parents shouldn't demand accountability from their children. Just like in prison, guards routinely conduct "shakedowns', whereby they shut off the water and go through everything in a prisoner's cell, so too parents are urged to 'shakedown' their children's bedrooms. Quoting a former prison inmate, who is now a pastor in Wilmington, Del., Cosby said, "Your child didn't buy that room, your child's not paying rent. You're trying to keep your child from being murdered, from going to jail... Shake down. Look under the mattress; make sure your kid doesn't have a gun. Look into materials on the wall. What is your kid talking about? Is it dangerous? This is a part of love, and this is what we have to do, regardless of race, color or creed."

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Opening Up a Dialogue: Drs. Bill Cosby, Alvin Poussaint Issue 'Call to Action' to Black Community On Meet the Press, Sunday, Oct. 14

In a special edition of Meet the Press, Sunday, Oct. 14, renowned entertainer and social activist, Dr. Bill Cosby, accompanied by Dr. Alvin F. Poussant, professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, sat down with program moderator, Tim Russert, to discuss a wide range of topics concerning race in America and the plight of the Black community as outlined in their recent literary collaboration: Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors. The book...

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