McWhorter: What To Get a Black Person For Christmas

December 18, 2009 by blackgirlgrown
Filed under books, movies, and music, engage, race

Always thought-provoking, John McWhorter provides his recommendations on what Blacks need this Christmas: Bill Cosby’s State of Emergency CD.

So very “2004” by now – the days when the kickoff question for an interview on black issues was whether you agreed with the views of Bill Cosby. What was interesting was how many black people actually did – those who had a major problem with Cosby’s new tack were mainly a writerly contingent, itchy to see someone so prominent arguing against the tacit but potent assumption that there needs to be a second Civil Rights revolution.

This crowd have never had a satisfactory riposte to what’s on the paperback of Cosby and Alvin Poussaint’s book Come On People: “When you have people tell you, ‘You can’t get up, you’re a victim,’ that’s when you know that it’s the devil you’re hearing, no one else.” Yet what with certain other race-related events having taken the stage since 2004, one would be pardoned for supposing that Cosby’s no-nonsense speeches were yesterday’s news and that now he’s just sitting at home. By no means – it turns out Cornel West isn’t the only black authority figure of a certain age making rap CDs.

McWhorter goes on to provide greater insight into Cosby’s foray into hip hop music. Cosby is not out to go platinum or top the charts, but inspire and provoke conversations in communities large and small on doing the right thing.

Now that’s something worth celebrating.

And certainly much more inspiring than the New York Times’ Of Color Holiday Gift Guide (h/t One Brown Girl).