Dr. King would also see that millions of blacks continue to fall short of the dream.
This point is brilliantly outlined by one of America's most beloved cultural icons Bill Cosby and Alvin F. Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Judge Baker Children's Center in their book, Come On People: On the Path from Victims to Victors.
Cosby and Poussaint stress the need for African Americans to never give up the struggle to eliminate racism and classism in our society. At the same time people need to step up and begin building communities where 50 percent high-school drop-out rates, teen pregnancies, and ignoring their responsibilities as parents becomes the exception rather than the rule.
"Dr. King's dream was that his four little children 'will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.' He was talking about children advancing to become strong, beautiful people -- not abandoned by their parents," writes Cosby and Poussaint. "Not drug addicted, not irresponsible. What we see around us today in our poor neighborhoods is a nightmare, not a dream."
Come On People is built around the themes of Cosby's popular call-out sessions, in which he has challenged people in towns and cities across America to reclaim and restore their families and communities.
Cosby and Poussaint share their vision for strengthening America by addressing the crisis of people frozen in feelings of low self-esteem, abandonment, anger, fearfulness, sadness, and feelings of being used, undefended, and unprotected. By addressing these issues and providing tools to deal with them, Cosby and Poussaint help empower people to make the daunting transition from victims to victors.
At times challenging, at times inspirational, Come On People provides real-life examples of the problems plaguing communities throughout America and the time-tested solutions that can help turn things around.
Suffused with humor and moral clarity, Come On People challenges readers to:
* engage in political activism
* take their neighborhoods back;
* become purposeful and effective parents;
* get actively engaged in shaping the lives of their children;
* take care of their physical and emotional health;
* encourage their families toward higher education; and
* think entrepreneurially about employment and economic advancement.
About the Authors
Bill Cosby is one of the most influential performers of the last half century. Coming from a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, he rose to dominate the nation's airwaves through shows like I Spy and The Cosby Show; become the all-time bestselling comedian on records; and author several blockbuster books, including Fatherhood, which became the fastest-selling hardcover book of all time and spent 54 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and Time Flies which had the largest single first printing in publishing history at the time--1.75 million copies. A crusader throughout his career, his entertainment success is complemented by involvement with a host of charitable, education, and civil rights organizations.
Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., grew up in a family of eight children in East Harlem, New York. He is a veteran of the civil rights movement, serving as Southern Field Director of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s. He is currently a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Judge Baker Children's Center in Boston. In addition to writing dozens of articles for lay and professional publications, Dr. Poussaint is coauthor of two books, Raising Black Children and Lay My Burden Down. He closely collaborated with Bill Cosby on The Cosby Show and on several of his bestselling books.
CONTACT:
Curt Harding
Senior Publicist
(615) 902-2246 office
(615) 902-2340 fax
charding@thomasnelson.com
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