“I’m not interested in statistics telling me things are not as bad as they seem. They are horrible,” Cosby said, adding that he is looking for actionable steps rather than studies and news stories that scratch the surface of issues affecting Black men.
“I’m tired of this drive-by crap,” he said.
Every institution, from schools to churches to the juvenile justice system, is failing Black youth, remarked former U.S. Congressman and Oakland’s Mayor-elect Ron Dellums.
Dr. Alvin Poussaint, a Harvard University Medical School professor who consulted on the “Cosby Show,” referenced a Yale University study that found that pre-school expulsion rates for Blacks were twice that of Whites. And nine out of 10 Black preschoolers expelled are boys. In most of the cases, the boys were cited for being aggressive, violent and using bad language.
“Is it racial profiling starting at three or four or is it something going on
before preschool that relates to the family and community making those Black males unable to adapt, unable to fit in. You can see why they have problems down the road. We have to ask ourselves some tough questions,” Poussaint said.
— By Toni Coleman
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
