Mr. Cosby’s appearance in the predominantly black neighborhood was to encourage residents to enroll in Baltimore City Community College. During a nearly hour-long speech, Mr. Cosby said it’s never too late for high school dropouts to improve.
“There’s no love out there,” Mr. Cosby said of the street life. “The only thing out there is how to write your entrance exam to jail. We’ve got to teach. The church is open. Go on in.”
Mr. Cosby has been the source of controversy when he has addressed mostly black audiences. His criticisms of men fathering children out of wedlock have been called divisive. He spent most of his Baltimore speech, however, imploring his audience to seek self-improvement and to build pride within their community.
Young people of St. Ambrose said Mr. Cosby’s message of hope at St. Ambrose could be a catalyst for change.
“It means a lot for someone that popular,” said Maulana Waters, 15, “to come out and speak to regular people like us.”
“His criticisms of men fathering children out of wedlock have been called divisive.”
What idiot calls that divisive? By every measurable metric, men fathering children out of wedlock has been an unmitigated disaster. I thank God that folks like Bill Cosby are speaking out to their own community. Folks from outside his community are not heard or worse, called racists, if they dare speak the truth. Huzzah for Bill Cosby!