By now everyone on seven continents has caught wind of the Bill Cosby scandal: In which Mr. Cosby, famed entertainer, civil rights advocate, and philanthropist has been accused of raping three women 30-45 years ago. I say three (instead of the number 15 I keep hearing about) because I have only seen and read the accounts of three.
Now let’s take a closer look at the allegations. One of the things that’s bothered me from the beginning about this media frenzy surrounding Mr. Cosby, is that he appears to have been tried and convicted by mainstream media just because he’s been accused. I have been attacked simply for saying as much. Simply for asking (as Whoopi Goldberg did) why not wait until all the evidence is in before we rush to judgement? I have also been attacked for posting articles which point to inconsistencies (and flat out lies) in the alleged victims story.
We live in a nation where you are innocent until proven guilty, right? Maybe not.
I am with permission reposting this brilliant essay by Iamnatturner Kenya Cagle, which I believe will shred a great deal of light on this scandal. It certainly answered lot of my questions:
I normally don’t get involved in controversies like this one against Bill Cosby but I know some things that might shed light on this new old attack on Mr. Cosby. First off I don’t know if Mr. Cosby is innocent or guilty of any of these accusations. I hope he’s innocent. But let’s look at a few things. The first thing is the timing. Mr. Cosby was one of the world’s only black superstars back then. His star was rising quickly. Now do you know what was happening to black people during those times? Not only was Mr. Cosby a superstar but he was very active in the civil rights movement.
Black men and boys were being lynched for looking at white women. There was a law called reckless eyeballing that was responsible for hangings, picnics aka pick a nigger to burn alive, stabbings and other acts of brutality against us. To be accused of raping a white woman was an automatic death sentence. No black man was safe when it came to those accusations with or without proof. Families, friends, neighbors and even entire towns have suffered because of the words of these ‘decent’ white women. We lost our lives and families. Men like Cosby would march in the streets risking their lives and the lives of their families. They also risked their reputations and means of income. Dr. Cosby knew what would happen to a black man even if a rumor was whispered against him about white women. He like many of our leaders were too smart for that trap.
Cosby made the ultimate mistake of raising enough money to buy the network that his show previously rescued. NBC was in financial straits. Cosby led a group of black entrepreneurs that raised the highest bid to buy NBC. This bid was turned down for a lot of silly ‘reasons’. Once Cosby and his team attempted to question being rejected the old allegations started to resurface. Others joined in the allegations. This onslaught derailed what would have been a great historic accomplishment and would have given blacks equal power and access in main stream media.
Fast forward to today. Mr. Cosby has teamed up with the world’s richest and most powerful black men and women to create the ultimate equalizer in the entertainment industry. He and many leaders were creating a black owned worldwide film and media distribution company that would rival the top six studios in the world. This would mean more black movies. It would mean challenges to negative images of blacks. It would mean more black executives. Real money making positions and opportunities where we could legitimately compete in a fair and open market. This company was going to change the game.
But of course coincidentally or not, a black clown destroyed the life of another black man. My take – the charges are old. Black men have never in history even got away with looking at white women. You think I believe this crap about a black man getting away with all these allegations by white women. Doing tea at his hotel late night in their pajamas? Some who continued to see him after their alleged first encounter ?
You can believe what ever you want but the Scottsboro boys, Emitt Till, the Central Park 5 and all the countless list of unknown black men and women keeps me leary. The books are closed. These charges are over and done. Why bring it up now. These charges have yet again raped us of great historic gains.
—Iamnatturner Kenya Cagle 2014
My thoughts and prayers are with the Cosby Family, as they have been since the beginning.
Bill Cosby was born in Germantown, Penn., in July of 1937 to U.S. Navy cook (father) and maid (mother). * Grew up in Philadelphia. * Dropped out of high school to enroll in the Navy, where he earned his GED and served years before attending Temple Univ. * Quit college to focus on stand-up comedy. * First appeared on The Tonight Show at age 26. * Broke barriers in 1965 when he became the first African American to star in a weekly dramatic television series on I Spy. * In the 70’s, he made regular appearances on the educational children’s series The Electric Company and Sesame Street. * Returned to college to earn a BA from Temple (1970), and MA (72) and EdD (76) degrees from the Univ. of Mass. * Has donated millions of dollars to support educational opportunities for African Americans. * His role as a social critic was publicly debated in 2004 after he spoke at an NAACP event commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision (known as the “Pound Cake Speech”, he challenged the black community to become more accountable and responsible for the welfare of its children, evoking both praise and criticism from black activists for his honesty). * An avid collector of African American art, part of his collection is currently on loan to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. Learn more about the life of Bill Cosby on his profile on BlackPast.org (link: ) and please Share this post if you do!
The Truth About the Attacks on Bill Cosby
http://bit.ly/Bill-Cosby-Profile
The Examiner The Cosby Accusations
Collision of Worlds 
Reblogged this on United Souls.
Thank you Valjeanne. Very well written, and I agree with what you said, and stand by Mr. Cosby.
Thanks for reading and for your comment!
I understand your frustration, but this is not the Central Park 5. Bill Cosby is not Emitt Till and over 20 separate women lying about a very similar story seems unlikely. Saying a black man never got away with raping a white women does not mean he did not do it. What in the world would Lou Ferigno’s wife have to gain for claiming this? She is certainly not looking for money. I am an 80’s kid, I grew up watching the Cosby Show like everyone else but I had to be objective enough to see what was in front of me. Bill Cosby is not Dr. Huxable. Its true that he has done incredible things for the Black community but that does not mean he is perfect. You have to at least entertain the possibility he raped someone. These women didn’t know each other.
Thank you for your comment. No. 1: It is true that a number of women have charged Mr. Cosby, but simply being accused does not make someone guilty. And all of the accusations are not for rape. You mention, for example Lou Ferigno’s wife. She did not accuse Mr. Cosby of rape, she claimed that he “kissed her hard,” which is hardly a crime. No. 2 I find the media feeding frenzy over these accusations, and their timing very curious– some of these accusations are 45 years old. Why now? These women claim that Bill Cosby was so powerful that their cries were ignored. So why are they not being ignored now when Mr. Cosby is much more powerful, and worth more money? Because of some comedian’s standup routine? It doesn’t add up.
No 3. There are other aspects to these accusations that I find very troubling. Some of these women claimed to be in ongoing relationships with and/or receiving money from Mr. Cosby. One of his accusers in particular claims to have slept with 1000 men– all celebrities; this same woman falsely accused her ex-husband of rape. Another one did not mention an assault in her autobiography, and claimed she was pressured by Mr. Cosby’s attorneys to leave it out. This claim has been refuted.
As I said earlier, I find the timing and media focus on these accusations very. . . curious. Certainly there are enough questions in my mind to dismiss them until I am presented with something other accusations. Like proof.
Histories Of Several Cosby Accusers Cast Doubt On Tales
“A number of women who have accused comedian Bill Cosby of sexual assault either have factual contradictions in their accounts or have personal histories that cast doubt on their claims, The Daily Caller has learned.
Five of Cosby’s recent accusers, including multiple women currently or previously represented by prominent feminist attorney Gloria Allred, have engaged in statements and behavior that warrant increased scrutiny of their public accusations against Cosby.
‘There is virtually no standard by which the media are holding Mr Cosby’s accusers,’ Cosby attorney Marty Singer told The Daily Caller in a statement. ‘Anyone and …’ http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/12/histories-of-several-cosby-accusers-cast-doubt-on-tales/
Do not judge unless you want to be judge it’s so funny why wait until now to come forward so many women all of a sudden realize they were raped .I do not believe ,until proven guilty and only the Lord nows remember what you sow is what you reap so if you are lying what goes around comes around.
Leah, I totally agree!! Thanks for reading, and for your comment.
“She spoke out about being on the growing list of Cosby accusers, alleging she was drugged. Johnson had many across the country believing her experience and praising her for coming forward against Cosby. However, brows began to raise after listening to the model’s December 15, 2014 interview on The View. She had the viewers in the palms of her hands up until she could not recall one major important detail…if she had been raped.” http://theleik.com/beverly-johnson-does-not-know-if-she-was-raped-by-bill-cosby/
Dear Valjeanne:
I have been waiting for a Black Female Writer to give balance to a national conversation that is all too lopsided and unfair.
Thank You.
Thank you Brother Charles! Happy New Year!
I just wanted to say thanks for writing this. For lack of a better word, the growing internet-fueled SHITSTORM based on nothing more than evidence-free accusations in the media (and especially “social” media) has made it quite clear that most people do NOT understand what due process is, nor do they understand the basics of the law…ie you are innocent until proven guilty. Accusations are not PROOF. Where is the evidence? Where is the police investigation? The time before a judge? Where’s the beef? But that hasn’t stopped the Tumblr “feminists” (really badly misinformed teenaged girls) from piling on and calling for Cosby’s head. You question the “timing” of all of these accusations…I read recently, and sorry I don’t have the link, that not long ago (ie in 2014) Cosby was quoted praising how black muslim families in America raise their children. This could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back in and of itself, especially in a culture that routinely demonizes all things muslim. Perhaps someone, somewhere said “that’s it, he’s going down” and so it snowballed into this. I choose to stand with Mr. Cosby, both as a fan and as a great admirer for everything he has championed, especially in terms of education and the promotion of education. I’m willing to give this scholar and intellectual a benefit of a doubt over a bunch of questionable loudmouths who have run to the media instead of the police with their “claims.”
Thanks for reading and for your comments! I stand by Mr. Cosby as well and I believe that he is, as all Americans are, innocent until proven guilty.
Thanks for your post on this subject. You echo my feelings on this subject. I feel that I am witnessing a media lynching of Bill Cosby. It seems that every time an African American male reaches any level of wealth and power, they are systematically destroyed by the media. Just think about Tiger Woods. He surely wasn’t the first golfer to ever cheat on his wife. Yet, every white female on the planet lined up to accuse him of having a relationship with them. If he was having that much sex, he would have had no time or energy at all for golf. The media made such a big deal out of his infidelity. You would have thought that he committed murder or something of that magnitude. He was paraded in front of the cameras and forced to apologize. He was effectively brought low and put in his place by white America. Just look at how our President is being treated with blatant disrespect. Bill Cosby is just another example of how this racist society will go to any lengths to keep us in our place, meaning somewhere beneath whites. Please explain to me why this well-respected, educated black man is being drug through the mud because of age old accusations from women who have very questionable histories. Isn’t Janice Dickinson the same trick who accused Sylvester Stallone of fathering her child. Even named the child Sylvanna after him and the paternity test proved that he wasn’t the father. Yet, she is paraded all over the media as if she is some reputable person accusing Bill Cosby. I believe that Mr. Cosby might have had some type of consensual relationship with some of these women. He is not a saint. However, I do not believe that he would have to drug and rape anyone. With the money he has, I think the women would be lined up to have sex with him. Let’s be real!!
CBK, thank you! Again you’ve hit a home run with your comments! 🙂
Also, if I realized that someone had drugged and raped me, the first thing I would do is go to the hospital and get blood tests to show me what I was given. In the very least, I would want to know what type of drug I was given. I would also report the rape and have a rape kit taken for evidence collection. It is hard for me to believe that Mr. Cosby could be this serial rapist yet, not one of the women he supposedly drugged and raped, went to the hospital and got a blood test or an examination after being raped. Just unbelievable to me!!!!
I totally agree! Your comments hightlight some of the same problems I have with these accusations. And at this point that’s all they are: Accusations. Thanks for reading.
This just in: Bill Cosby’s Lawyer Says Comic Wasn’t In Los Angeles At Time Of Alleged Abuse http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/16/bill-cosby-playboy-denial_n_6490196.html