Bill Cosby's remarks have prompted a range of responses from communities across the U.S. We invite you to review this summary of the comments submitted to UnityFirst.com:

'Voice from the upper class'
Bill's comments are on target but are to none effect. Those that Bill's comments are directed toward are lower middle class or poor, the weaker of our society, living in an area abandoned by people like myself and Bill. Bill and I are the upper class minority members, once the best of the black community, who has abandoned our people to live with upper class or rich members of the dominate group. Like it or not we were roll models to our people while in the community but now away from the community we have become "successful niggers" on a pedestal unreachable by the community that produced us. Someone once said, we move away from the community because it has nothing to offer..., a community that produced a Bill or an Oprah or even myself had a lot to offer, it was us. I shall return. - Otis

Address the use of vulgar language
Bill is right on target about the black community. We should listen, take heed, and try to do better just as he suggests. The black generations are getting worse. The language is terrible. We do not have to use vulgar
language to get our points across. We can simply use English. - Angela

Check out Randall Robinson's book, "Quitting America
I applaud Bill Cosby's statements, he right on time with it. However, Randall Robinson was the first to talk about this (very eloquently) in his Book "Quitting America..." As a African-American female, I am disappointed with the current programming of BET. I'm totally disgusted with the HipHop videos that portray African-American women in such a disgusting role. I was shocked to see a movie about pimping. Again I say that Randall Robinson discussion about BET in his book is exactly how I feel. - Natalie

Initiate a serious national discussion
Bill Cosby has accomplished something that the leadership of black America has failed to do -- initiate a serious national discussion regarding the ills of the African American community. Racism is an insidious sin that has permeated all facets of American society. RACISM IS the direct cause of many of the problems we experience as a community but Mr. Cosby is right. Racism has little to do with a young man dropping out of high school. There are tons of programs designed to keep children in school. Our young men opt out and drop out. Our ancestors died to give us the right to attend school. Before that, our ancestors built schools so that their children could get an education. RACISM is not the cause of rap artists referring to women as bitches and whores in their music. Rap artists exert more influence on today's youth than parents, pastors, and teachers. This is not right. Getting an education is not an easy task and parents need to step up to the plate and ensure that their children succeed in school. It is not the teacher's or the principal's responsibility to make sure our children come to school prepared to learn, i.e., they've had a good breakfast, have clean clothes, have had enough rest and are not influenced by a parent's use of drugs, alcohol, or sexual activity. Our children are failing in school and dropping out because of us -- Parents! Too many of us have children and don't care what happens to them. It is not the job of the school superintendent to make sure our children have a safe and decent home to live. It is the job of parents to provide a nurturing environment so that children know they are loved. It is the job of parents to instill in children that getting an education is a NECESSITY and not an option. Bill Cosby was right! I am sorry he has taken so much criticism for what he said, but he is right! It is not the government's job to take care of our children. It is not the job of the foster care system (a system that relies on the kindness of strangers) to take care of our children. It is the job of PARENTS!!!! As African American parents, we need to get a grip on the real causes of why our children are failing to become productive citizens. Bill Cosby was right! We have become our own worst enemy. - Sharon

Rich, but informed
Bill is telling the truth. Just because he is wealthy does not mean that he isn't still Black and cannot say what is on his mind. He speaks for many of us that don't have the voice and opportunity to say what's on our minds. If he were talking and not doing it would be one thing, but Dr. Cosby has giving generously to help those less fortunate than himself and his family. Those who are getting mad at what he is saying fit into two categories:
1. Guilty: He was talking about them and therefore stepping on their toes
2. Ignorant: They feel that he shouldn't tell the truth about his own people in front of the White man because it looks like he's siding with them and downing his people, which is not the case.

No other community would let this go on
Cosby has said what we all must support. We allowed our communities to be the "dumping grounds" for every manner of illicit drugs, crime, prostitution, so much so until it has shape the thinking of our elders and corrupted us until we have accepted this madness as normal. No other people would allow the insanity that goes on in our midst. Because we don't support the law and we fear the local hoods, we are getting what we deserve. Asad

Tell it like it is
Bill Cosby is really telling it like it is. As black folks, we have for too long tried to escape the reality of taking responsibility for our own shortcomings. We have always blamed someone else. It is really time we step up to the plate and make some positive moves of our own

Truth promotes healing
I truly feel what Dr. Cosby spoke about, is an area that we as African American's have known about but have decided not to talk about or look at. Until we see it for what it really is, and take responsibility for our own actions will we be able to heal and move on.

Unity vs. Uniformity
My sense is that Bill Cosby's comments serve a very useful purpose in the overall scheme of things. Consequently, I tend to view those comments positively. Moreover, far too many of us (Blacks) suffer defeat by default .We are forever challenged to find a way or make one. Black unity (not uniformity) is as vital to our continued progress today as it ever was before. Get a grip and take responsibility William

Speaking the truth - some kids don't know how to use utensils
It is about time someone spoke the truth. We have a responsibility to teach, nurture and be role models to our children. I cannot see how we can blame the white man for our children's behavior, lack of the interest in education and bad manners. Some of these children are in schools and neighborhoods with very little contact with whites. I have had children in my home, as a foster parent, whose moms were 30 years old while the children were 15 years old. Some did not know how to use a fork and knife. (Fast food) doesn't require utensils. We need to get a grip and take responsibility for our own lives and those of our children. Ina

Man in the Mirror
I'm writing this to respond to the comments made toward Mr. Cosby. When Michael Jackson recorded "Man In The Mirror", he was telling people to look at themselves first before assigning blame elsewhere. In my opinion, Mr. Cosby is saying the same thing. Maybe he's doing it a little louder than Mike did. Maybe what Bill Cosby says isn't as smooth sounding as "Man In The Mirror" or any of the MANY uplifting, self-awareness songs that have been recorded. One thing's for sure......IT'S THE TRUTH!! All those folk who are screaming "Dirty Laundry" are in denial. Do they really think that what Mr. Cosby is saying is a secret? What world do they live in? Not the one I do. I hear people of other cultures say these same things all the time. In conversations at our family dinners, barbershops & hair salons, church, and anywhere else Black people KEEP IT REAL, you hear the same thing. Whether you want to believe it or not. The difference is that once you acknowledge the problem, then you can begin to repair it. If you never accept the reality .........you'll be yelling "Dirty Laundry" for some time to come. Time is running out. Kev

Look at yourself
Mr. Cosby's comments are on time and absolutely correct. Years ago, when my parents were trying to make it in this segregated, prejudice world, all they wanted was the chance to prove themselves-- no handouts, no giveaways. They were convinced that they could perform miracles if just given a fair chance. In these times. our young people have more chances and handouts and giveaways than my generation or my parents generations could have ever dreamed of. Yet we are still behind, using tired and worthless arguments to explain laziness and poor attitudes. Yes, the other race still has a bit of control, but we have more opportunities for success than any of the previous generations of African- Americans ever did. It is time to look at ourselves and get the lead out... Mr. Cosby is right, and for those who might be offended, perhaps they should look carefully at themselves and see that they are part of the problems, rather than one of the folks who are part of the solutions...

Get the issues out of the closet
I believe Mr. Cosby's comments are right on target. I don't see how anyone can blame him for airing dirty laundry. We should take a closer look at the entire black community. We have seen some success, but the vast majority of our community does a wonderful job of airing our dirty laundry. Instead of pointing a finger at Mr. Cosby, we need to look at our literacy rates, our test scores, our high school drop out rates and our teen pregnancy rates...just to name a few. Instead of keeping these issues in the closet, we need to have more people come forward so that we can begin a "real" dialogue about the many issues facing the black community. Then we need to look at viable solutions. Once the laundry is aired, it can be properly cleaned. Monica

Talk about communication skills
Personally I feel that he was right on target. Too many times our speech and conversation make us seem like idiots. Listen to some of sports figures. They make a lot of money, but their communication skills are terrible. Percy

From a Rhode Island professional
If there is anyone that has been a champion of Black culture, heritage and education as being part of the American braintrust, it is Bill Cosby. Publicly, He and Sidney Poitier before him have been entertainment's spokesmen for the transforming America's prospects for the educated Black Middle, and Upper-Middle classes. Privately, he and his wife Camile, now doing a wonderful oral history of our senior citizens, have consistently raised the bar. His most recent statements are an observation of a consistent lifetime movement and not a knee jerk reaction to something that only happened yesterday. Whites wishing to look down on Blacks have never had any problem finding 'Black dirt' to throw. What Cosby is doing is now is to simply identifying the path that many capable young people are following, led by popular Rappers and pop culture, closes the gate on the paths to their children pursuing the path of opportunity requiring classic education, accepted communication skills and and work and family practices. The tragedy is the values lost by the Twenty-something and Thirty-something Blacks that lack good models of success for their too-young families. The popular music scene exploits our dirty laundry more than "the Coz" ever could. As a Black Upper-Middleclass professional, I think the generation that is most challenged are the tail end of the Baby-Boomers that need to extend a hand the way Cosby's parents and he are doing for those graduating from high school now. We're going from epidemic to crisis. Cosby's words are a warning shot across the bow for the community to change its course and get back on track or be destined to a journey of limited progress. The economic figures show that as a people we have not gone very far since the 60's and the gap will continue to widen if we don't participate in the mainstream .Kevin

Kids in church also have issues
I want to chime in on the many others who applaud Bill for his forthright, truthful expression and description of the state of African American youth as a result of the way too many African American parents approach their responsibility for raising their/our children. I resonate with Dr. Cosby's point of view because he is right on target. We have a situation in my own church community where my wife and several other members of our congregation have launched a discussion about the attitude, manner of dress and behavior of some of our teenage parishioner who serve as acolytes and ushers. When this was first aired, the parents of these children where upset, angry and threatened to pull their children out of our church. The youngsters too, were upset and felt personally attacked. But the small delegation of parishioners prevailed, through persistence and declaration of intent, and now we are seeing a change in the attitude and dress and level of respect these kids have for the church and their role in it. And, their parents have also changed, for the positive. So, this tells me that Brother Bill is on the right track and those of us in the community need to accept his comments as a rallying call to action and take up the mantle in our own smaller, more intimate communities, where we can actually dialogue with the people the comments are directed to. This would be the better response to Dr. Cosby's comments, than attacking him for being forthright, truthful and willing to take the hits that many people want to lay on him, as opposed to accepting facts and doing something about it. My family and I have no problem with our "dirty laundry" being aired to the white community. While they may have some hand in some aspect of the situation, we, as a people, still have far more choices to make on our own. Brother Bill's expose' can be a stimulant for us to clean up our own stuff without relying on other folks' "washing machines and detergents". Charles

Is Bill having a bad day?
He sounds like a bitter, disgusted, tired man. I have been wondering if the death of his son has been eating at him or the drug ordeal his daughter Erin went through. Whatever the cause, he seems at his wits end.
SOMETHING is bothering him. Too bad, too. Because I absolutely respect and appreciate everything he has done for Black folks. His presence on Earth has benefited us Black folks immensely. Toni

Be an example
I believe that Bill Cosby is on target with his comments. If not him, who? If not now, when? If someone has to say it, it should come from someone like Bill who had it hard growing up and still made something of himself, and is trying to pass it on by giving back to colleges and universities that are educating others, instead of Bill O'Reilly or some other left -wing person who think that they know what is wrong with this country and the world and can not wait to say it or write about it. If the truth hurts, then those offended should not to simply get mad and say"oh no he didn't' they should do everything in their power to prove him wrong. Encourage your children to read more and do better in school. You need to lead by example by picking up a book yourself instead of a cell phone or television remote. As a relatively new author I am always gratified to hear someone say, I don't read much, but I sure love your books and read it all the way through and sometimes over (The Venus Chronicles) again. So I say to people who are getting mad at Bill for speaking out. Don't get mad at the messenger or the message, get even. Pick up a book, watch a
documentary instead of MTV. Empower yourself and others by encouraging them to do the same thing. When it is all said and done, that's the key to success and empowerment.

Younger generation thinks they can do it better
It's not like no one knows what's happening in our communities. Just because someone stood up and said it I feel it's alright. We need to address these issues and I believe there are many people who are...Some parents, Our churches, our community centers and some of our schools. We need to go back to community, whatever community means to you. I believe in the church helping young parents raise their children because that's how it was when I grew up and I have raised my children the same way. The problem comes now when this younger generation think they can do this better than we did...they can't. Carolyn

Black churches, most under utilized resources in our communities
Bill Cosby is absolutely right...I am currently working on a proposal which will address the problems of Black youth throughout America...My plan will utilize Black churches, one of the most under utilized
resources in our communities...No one can solve "our" problems but us... Vance

Tell the truth and admit our problems
Mr. Cosby simply told the truth; plain and simple. We really need to take a close look at ourselves as a people. Was the Civil Rights Movement meant to place us in a position to completely assimilate? The African-American is the only American who still cannot quite get over the fact that we are AFRICAN AMERICAN. This is not a bad thing. Is it bad to have pride in your heritage? Are we so ashamed that we cannot accept the fact, that although we have made great strides in all areas, we are being robbed of the progress made everyday from not only outside of our communities and culture, but from within. Who is the real enemy? Our sons need real fathers. Our daughters need real mothers. Our children need to stop raising themselves. Now I know it's hard. I make sacrifices everyday; but I am raising a Black Man; not a Black Boy-Man. We really need to step back and admit our problems. You have to know you are sick in order to find a cure. Ava

Speak up
I have always had nothing but respect for Mr. Cosby. And now he is under attack for being right about "our" people. I wish more of us would speak up about these atrocities. Now knowing that his birthday is July 12th, I have a special admiration for him - both he and my father share the same birthday! Helen

Set high expectations
I think his comments are on target. He has the credibility in our community to make the statements. We need to set high expectations for our children and hold them accountable to meet those expectations. We should also give them the love and support to grow and be the best that they can be. The examples set for our children will help them grow to be self-confident, responsible adults. Bob

We have no one to blame but ourselves
Mr. Bill Cosby's comments are right on target. Its sad but true///our dirty laundry is on the subways and buses at 3:00pm every school day cussing and talking loud and abusing the n----- word. We need to get a grip. I am a product of the deep south who wanted to better myself and give something back to my mother for her many sacrifices for sending me off to college. She sold her insurance policies and worked hard so I could receive a decent education. Too many of our kids "just don't want it and their parents don't insist that they get it." My own son had to be accountable to me for his time action from 3pm until I got home from work every day. He also had to engage in some constructive work or activity. He did not have to engage in activity of my choosing but he had to choose to do something worthwhile. Today parents don't seem to have the time to care. We need to do better and insist that our children do better. We have no one to blame but ourselves when it comes to the values we instill in our offspring. Hats off to Mr. Cosby. Stop the bleeding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! B e t t y e

Sound the alarm about our kids
Greetings, I have frequently said to my husband "...somebody needs to sound the alarm about these kids...we are in a state of emergency...something's got to be done!!!" I view Bill Cosby's remarks as a concerned man trying as best he can to "sound the alarm". Renee in Ohio

Anti-white complaints from Black leaders
As an African American teacher and playwright, I concur with Mr. Cosby wholeheartedly. I am frustrated by the litany of "anti-establishment, anti-White man" complaints that come from so-called Black leaders, who rarely take the time to publicly criticize our own failures. Yes, racism is real; in fact, I was once fired for teaching Black History. But racism has nothing to do with the basics of good manners, good morals and high standards. But alas, such is the legacy of a set of race theories mired in scapegoating, Marxism and emotion instead of common sense. Thomas

Lack of education and self-hate
Congratulation to Mr. Cosby for taking a stand on the problems we face in this nation as Black people.
it is something that bothered me for years. The problems we face is not only a lack of education, it is also self hate. We struggled and continue to strive for integration, because we could not stand the fact that we are Black. It is ok to want equality, but it is different when we want to be White, and that is where we are heading. We do not have a community anymore. We get a little education and a decent job so we move away from the Black Community to the Suburbs, to live with white folks who do not want us in their neighborhood. Our children become confused because they cannot relate to the majority culture. Martin Luther King JR, struggle for integration and it caused him his life and we are no closer to having equality than when he was when he was alive. The question I asked myself is, was integration it worth the sacrifices we made, I say no, not just no but hell no. If we stop to take a look at ourselves, we are the only group of people in America and around the world that hate what we look like. God made us this way for a purpose. We were the first people that came about on this planet through creation or evolution. We have a history of one of the greatest civilization known to man The second longest dynasty ever was the Egyptian Dynasty, it is ours let us claim it. What we need to do is build a Libraries chronicling the history of Slavery in Washington DC, Kingston Jamaica or Falmouth Jamaica, and Bahia Brazil. So we can begin to lay the foundation of where we came from, so our children can learn and begin to HEAL themselves from the hell we went through, and continue to go through so from there we can begin to connect with the rest of the Black world. Take a look at where we are we are all around the Caribbean, through one of the largest country in South America Brazil, and from there we can see and reach the Motherland, Africa. Garvey
had the idea let us build on it. When we begin to see ourselves in a positive role the world others will give us the respect we deserve. But as long as we continue to be divided we will never see the promised loaned. We must put aside our pride and begin to mentor our young so they will have pride in themselves. Ed

Wake-up call for Black community
In my opinion, although harsh Mr. Cosby's comments are valid and hopefully will be a wake-up call for the Black community. There is no new info disseminated in his comments as we are well aware, education often takes a back seat to sports becoming "the short end of the stick" in our community. Hopefully the ire from Mr. Cosby's comments will cause mobilization of the masses. In fact, I'd be interested to know what has prompted Mr. Cosby's sudden airing of the Black community's "dirty laundry," but I have nooo problem with it... at all! Anjie

Younger generation thinks they can do it better
It's not like no one knows what's happening in our communities. Just because someone stood up and said it I feel it's alright. We need to address these issues and I believe there are many people who are...Some parents, Our churches, our community centers and some of our schools. We need to go back to community, whatever community means to you. I believe in the church helping young parents raise their children because that's how it was when I grew up and I have raised my children the same way. The problem comes now when this younger generation think they can do this better than we did...they can't. Carolyn

On target
Bill Cosby's comments were right on target. Unfortunately too many of us seem to feel that speaking proper English and getting a meaningful education is being white. Rather than use this excuse, we should look around and observe who runs this country and why they are in charge. Carolyn

Success must be earned
Bill Cosby's comments are not only on target, but are long overdue! Mr. Cosby puts his money where his mouth is in contributing to the education of black youth. I am sure that the 'race pimps' take issue
with them because they only stay in business if black people have someone to blame for their plight. No one can give success, it must be earned! Tony

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