Those of you how know me know that I have zero tolerance for violence against women and have actively worked to create safe spaces for women–whether that’s in the workplace, in the home or on the street.
People, especially Black women, have been asking for my thoughts on the rape accusations against Bill Cosby. In between Black, unarmed males being shot all over the country, I managed to catch snatches of the news of women who said they were drugged and/or raped by the famous TV father. I haven’t had time to go deep into their stories.
One thing I noticed was that while there were some notables stepping forward to condemn Cosby, I sensed a wall of reservation by Black folks. I started conducting my own informal surveys of the Black women I know or those who I came in contact with.
The findings: Most felt there was probably some truth that Cosby’s hands were not clean of sexual harassment or assault. Almost all of the women were suspicious of the timing and expressed the public humiliation looked orchestrated.
Why now? What had precipitated this pile-on of mainly white woman on the beloved actor and philantrophist? Who had Cosby crossed to bring this on? These were some of the questions I heard. Valid questions. Additionally, there is the ugly history of white women falsely accusing black men of rape that cannot be ignored.
If you’ve being reading my commentary over the years, you also know that I was critical of Cosby when he came out swinging against black mothers, blaming them for their poverty and for damning their children’s futures by giving them names like Shaniquah. I have no problem with being critical of Cosby but that was an easier task: I heard Cosby’s words straight from his own mouth.
So, what do you think? Is Bill Cosby guilty of all the rape charges or is he a victim of plot to de-throne him? I’d like to hear from you.
