Come On People - Cosby & Poussaint - Review 2

I have taken on the task of writing a review for the book. In this and subsequent posts, I will review one chapter in the book. The second chapter is titled: It Takes a Community

Review
The second chapter should've been the first chapter, because the breakdown in the Black community preceded the lost generations of our Black men. If we could implement some of the solutions presented in the book (finally break the mental shackles of slavery; learn and acknowledge the triumphs of those who came before us - like Washington, Tubman, DuBois, Parks, Marshall, and King; reject victimhood because we are no longer victims; and defend our villages (neighborhoods) against those who work to destroy them).

I would like to repeat a short excerpt about defining your village:

"I went to Koreatown today and I met with the Korean merchants. I love them. You know why? They got a place called what? Koreatown. [And] when I left them I went to Chinatown. They got a place called what? Chinatown.
"Where is your town?"

And here is another excerpt about defending your village:

"If the Ku Klux Klan were coming again, what would we do? We'd grab our children, throw them under the table, put them under the bed, put bodies on them, get the guns, and be ready.
"But how do we respond to a crack cocaine dealer? How do we respond to a dysfunctional school system? How do we respond to the criminals in our midst? How do we respond to those people who are unraveling the moral fiber of our village?"

We need to define and defend our neighborhoods, and make them in the image of what we want them to be. When we stop believing that we deserve to be treated as second class citizens, then we will take that long leap to respectability of ourselves and gaining the respect of others.
~ End of Review ~

plezWorld encourages you to visit www.BillCosby.com where you can purchase copies of the book and you will find a forum called "The Cos," that is designed for community members to discuss issues beyond those addressed in the book, as well as a place for people to come together and offer solutions.