Comedian Bill Cosby is referring to his conviction on multiple allegations of sexual assault as a “public lynching”.  This entire situation makes me sick to my stomach. Like so many other children of the 1980’s I remember watching him on the Cosby Show. I remember him as the voice of Fat Albert and that guy from the Jell-O pudding commercials in the 1970’s and early 80’s. I also remember watching his stand up classic “Bill Cosby-Himself” with my parents and laughing so hard I thought I was going to die.

Now, I am confronted with the sad truth of the matter. Bill Cosby has been convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women in a court of law as of Thursday. As a survivor of sexual assault and a member of the #MeToo movement, I have to reconcile the truth of the man with the image I grew up with. One of the things that makes me angriest about this characterization of his conviction is the intimation that it has something to do with race. No, Mr. Cosby. This has NOTHING to do with your race. This has to do with your insanely horrific judgment that it was perfectly fine to drug unsuspecting women throughout the years and rape them while they were under the effects of debilitating substances. I could care less what color your skin is.  What I am judging and find wanting in the extreme is the content of your character.

I would feel just as betrayed if the man involved in this case were white, black or purple with pink spots all over his skin. It makes me nauseated to know that for years I spent time watching your programs. laughing at your jokes and lining your pockets with my money and you spent your extra time slipping women mickeys and raping them. Never mind that it makes me sick that your wife of some 54 years stayed with you even when she found out that you had been spending your time in such a disgusting manner. Never mind that she maintains that you are innocent of these charges. From a People magazine blog post:

“The man I met, and fell in love with, and whom I continue to love, is the man you all knew through his work,” she wrote. “He is a kind man, a generous man, a funny man, and a wonderful husband, father and friend. He is the man you thought you knew.”

No madame, he most certainly is not. He is a criminal and what is worse is that he is a criminal who refuses to take responsibility for his own actions. He chooses instead to play a sorry, flimsy and played out race card. Bill, let me give you some advice. Stand up and be something you have not been up to this point in your life. Be a MAN. Take responsibility for your actions. Take your punishment like a man and most of all decide to be a good role model to young men in your community. Show them that being a man is about admitting when you are wrong when you have wronged others. Show them that a man chooses the high road-even if that means it is the harder one to travel.

Instead of calling the jury racists-which make no mistake is EXACTLY what Mr. Cosby is doing here-seek to make amends to those who have been harmed by your actions. Of course, I do not expect any of this to happen. Unfortunately, our society makes it all too easy to do exactly what Dr. Huckstable is doing here. Putting out a shiny little distraction for everyone to notice when the ugly truth of the matter is played out behind the scenes.