Who doesn't love Bill Cosby?

I just finished reading Bill Cosby's Come on People!: From Victims to Victors. What an inspirational read! Not only does it address the importance of the country NOT ignoring scary statistics about the black community (as in 50% of young black men in inner-cities are dropping out of school), but it is a book that transcends race and discusses healthy ways for all of us to live our lives. The book is informative, passionate, and of course, often full of wit. I mean, the author IS Bill Cosby!

The most important thing I've taken from reading this text (and from having my life enriched and made meaningful by working in Holly Springs, Mississippi- a school system considered "critical needs" by state standards but full of the most inspirational young minds I've come into contact with) is that we as a nation will not grow and be what we are supposed to be if we continue to ignore the situations in our OWN communities. Systemic racism is REAL. The fact that a small percentage of our population (black men) make up the largest percentage within our prisons is only a small piece of proof of the ocean of systemic racism that continues to threaten our nation. It is up to us to stop ignoring what's in our faces, to become active members of our communities, to embrace people who are different from us, to stand up to bigots that try to tear the progress made not only by political movements but also by community picnics, church gatherings, food shared between families, and the love of a human race of PEOPLE that refuse (REFUSE!) to give this up. Everyone should read this book. COME ON, PEOPLE!