Bill Cosby and Me

It was 1972.   

One evening in April my children and I dashed into the Ace Hardware store in Brentwood, Mo.  I needed a pair of pliers.  It would be a quick stop.  Darin, my 10-year-old son, hurried inside ahead of Farah, his almost 12 year old sister and me.  He claimed he could find the small tool; have it at the cash register by the time we got there.

Ours was a single parent household.  My husband (their father) had moved out.  It had been a broken home for more than a couple years.  The divorce was pending. I went to work every day, heartbroken but determined to keep positive auras in our lives.  Nevertheless, it seemed I was always rushing for one reason or another.  

This night our destination was a Junior Basketball Dinner and Awards Program in Maplewood, the next town over. The hardware store was on the way, so I took the risk and added 'buy pliers' to my list.  Those two let me know they didn’t want to be late.  The after-school basketball league was a favorite activity of both of them.  Darin liked the competition and Farah enjoyed watching the games.  Darin’s team had a good season.  He eagerly anticipated the evening.  Too bad their dad wasn’t coming.  I came home earlier than usual so we would not be late.   

So, my daughter and I enter the store and Darin is nowhere in sight.  I hurry to the small hand tools aisle and see my son.  There’s a smiling, puzzled look on his face, as his head says “no”.  Three boys, his age, also smiling, white, not black, seem to be insisting otherwise.  Then one of the three turns to me, “Isn’t he Bill Cosby’s son?”

Of course I assured them he was not Bill Cosby’s son.   I understood why they made the connection.  Television had made Bill Cosby appreciated and well known in every community.  Those little white guys easily saw my little black guy in his sneakers, pinstriped suit and with his Afro, as a miniature Bill Cosby, maybe - just maybe his son.  

 

Darin receiving his award 

Through the years, I've been grateful to Bill Cosby for what his multi-faceted talent and intellect did to share other cultures with others, particularly – bridging the gap between the races.  That evening, Bill Cosby’s stellar contributions to our universe put a smile in my heart and on the faces of my children and the other children as well.  Those boys must have gone home and told their parents.  What a fabulous discussion to imagine. 

“Bill Cosby, I’m forever grateful to you.”

                     

Darin and his proud team that night
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Reacting to a query directed to me in a Facebook post, I’ve encouraged myself to share the personal perspective you just read.  

Refreshing my knowledge of Bill Cosby’s career, I found myself in tears, reading about all he has done.  A writer, actor, performance comedian, director, producer, musician and so much more, I pray for his survival. 

Bill Cosby is a man of my generation.  In fact we were both born in 1937.   I try to make a positive difference for others in this life I’ve been blessed to live.  For sure, I thank Bill Cosby for doing exactly that.  His magnificent accomplishments have served all humanity.

Hopefully, I’ve sufficiently answered the Facebook questioner.