Hotmail
Messenger
My MSN
MSN Directory
‘Meet the Press’ transcript for Oct. 14, 2007
MR. COSBY: Yeah. Doesn’t that make sense? I mean, vote. If you’re—in Detroit, the population, OK, is at 75 percent. It’s even higher now. So here’s what a woman says. I called, I said, “What, what’s the number of your kids in the, in, in, in the jail?” “Well,” she says, “let’s say 190.” I said, “Thank you.” Then I went to a policeman, I said “I want you to get—find out how many of them are medicated.” Because I didn’t want to get it messed up. Then he came back, he said of the 100 and whatever, whatever, 75 percent of them are medicated. So I said, “OK, the next question is, you medicate a kid for 18 months or whatever. When that kid gets out, what happens to the medication?” So a call comes, and it’s a woman on the phone. I say, “Yes, ma’am.” She says, “Well,” it’s a black woman. She said, “The white ones get the medication, but the black ones don’t.” I said, “But the population of Detroit is 75 percent. Why are you letting this happen?” I got no, I got no clarity. There’s something about inertia.
DR. POUSSAINT: Yeah.
MR. COSBY: There’s something...
DR. POUSSAINT: And, and, and passivity. I think one of the things we emphasize in the book is that to make things happen, to bring about change, that you have to be an activist of some sort because things will just not happen for you. You have to go out and, and make demands, you have to get involved, you have to vote, that it just will not come. And you have the power to do that if you come together and you unify as a community and begin to talk about what we need to have a better community and better conditions for all black children.
MR. RUSSERT: Let me end our discussion by reading your final essay in this book, and I’d like to read it, it’s long, but it’s important I think for our viewers.
“Victims To Victors.”
“The most important thing that is within the reach of just about everyone is to make sure that every black child has two active parents in his or her lives. If something happens to the boy’s natural father, it’s time for the stepfather or the grandfather or the uncle or the godfather to fill the void. Likewise with the mother. A two-parent home is less likely to be poor, and the children it produces are much” [less] “likely to end up in prison. If, a generation from now, every black child grew up in a functional two-parent home, the problems of crime and poverty in black communities would greatly diminish.
“Black women seen to understand this better than our men. Few of them, even those living in poverty, fit the stereotypes society tends to impose. Most are trying to do the right thing for their families and children. Most care about their children getting an education and staying out of jail. Such parents and caregivers are involved with schools, churches, health clinics and community settlement homes. Probably many more would be involved if they felt it was safe to go out without becoming a victim of crime or senseless violence. They are the key to reach our men.
“The young men need to learn that it is highly unlikely they will grow up to star in the NBA or see their hip-hop CD go platinum. Although within reach, it will be challenge for them, today at least, to graduate from college and start a successful business. But most youth can overcome the obstacles to their finishing high school and getting a legitimate job. And there is no reason in the world they cannot become good partners and fathers, especially since the women want them to be.
“This is the base we build on. Children who are loved will have the confidence to succeed in school, to succeed on the job, to succeed in life.
“Education plus jobs plus increased minimum wage plus” entrepreneurialship “plus affordable housing plus decreased craving for material goods plus avoidance of credit card debt could equal the end of poverty, maybe. Poverty is deeply rooted in American society and our economic system. Black people have more than their share of poverty, which stunts their ambition, saddles them with a host of social burdens. But by doing the things we can do, we can make the future much brighter for black—poor black youth, much brighter for everyone.
“No more excuses, no more delays.
“Come on, people!”
Fair enough?
MR. COSBY: May I say something, though? Is it all right?
MR. RUSSERT: Please.
MR. COSBY: I have a friend. Her name is Jessica Pope, and she spoke at a—or two or three of the callouts. She’s a graduate of Swathmore. She’s African-American. She’s from Memphis, Tennessee. And she spoke to the people and she said, “I want you to think of your children like you think of, of a genie in the lamp.” In that we all know the story of the genie in the lamp. There’s a genie, and she also equates genie with genius, genie/genius. So in order to have the genie come out of the lamp and grant you your three wishes, you rub the lamp. You rub it, the genie comes out and grants you three wishes. She then says, “Think of your child that way. Rub your child. Stroke you child like this magical lamp. The genie/genius will come out.” And then I add to it, and the other two wishes you can put in your hip pocket and save for a rainy day.
MR. RUSSERT: Bill Cosby, Alvin Poussaint, thank you both very much.
“Come On, People.” You can read excerpts on our Web site, mtp.msnbc.com. And then find out what Bill Cosby’s only request before he comes to Washington is. Our MEET THE PRESS Take Two Web extra also on our Web site this afternoon. We’ll be right back.
(Announcements)
MR. RUSSERT: That’s all for today. You can watch the rebroadcast of MEET THE PRESS Sunday evenings two times, 6 PM Eastern, 2 AM Eastern on MSNBC. We’ll be back next week. If it’s Sunday, it’s MEET THE PRESS.
- Discuss Story On Newsvine
- Rate Story:
View popularLowHigh - Instant Message
MORE FROM MEET THE PRESS |
 Meet the Press Section Front |
| Add Meet the Press headlines to your news reader: |
Sponsored links
Resource guide