In his classic comedic style, Cosby joked about his experiences sitting in cabs in the district and wondering why Nigerian, Ethiopian and Ghanaian drivers often took their time hitting the gas when stoplights turned green. He said that when he questions them about the delay, many say they are reading engineering textbooks during the red light to keep up with their UDC coursework. 

“I don’t mind listening to that story over and over, because it makes me proud,� Cosby said. “UDC is a powerful place, because UDC not only gives you a degree in two years … [if] you want to come back, you can go to graduate school and get a master’s — you’re not driving the cab anymore now. UDC didn’t put the word out right here; they sent it out to Nigeria.�

Though the televised second forum went off without a hitch, the first featured an unexpected confrontation between Cosby and a heckler from the crowd. The man called Cosby’s forum a “watered-down dialogue� and criticized him for not holding a debate with critics like University of Pennsylvania Professor Michael Eric Dyson.

Dyson’s recent book Is Bill Cosby Right? (Or Has The Black Middle Class Lost Its Mind) blasted Cosby for comments he made in 2004 deriding poor Blacks. Among other controversial statements, Cosby criticized poor Blacks for their lack language and parenting skills, telling them to buy Hooked on Phonics instead of $500 sneakers.

The heckler’s comments regarding Dyson’s criticisms drew a heated response from Cosby, who jumped off the UDC auditorium stage and went into the crowd to confront the man. As in the past, Cosby said Dyson’s book is full of untruths and mischaracterizations.

“You don’t deserve a forum with me because you don’t know what you’re talking about,� Cosby said. “Dyson means nothing to me. I am not afraid of any Mr. Dyson. But Mr. Dyson is not a truthful man.�