An Open Letter to Bill Cosby

Dear Bill Cosby,

Thank you. On behalf of every youth who has ever watched your shows and dreamed because of them, I say thank you. For creating family television that was funny, yet appropriate. For showing that black families do exist and are attainable. For showing that big dreams don't have to be of being a lawyer or a doctor, like the Huxtable parents, but can be of making a difference in a classroom, like Theo.

For showing that an education is not a pipe dream. For showing that you can get out of the friend zone like Dwayne Wayne. For showing that black women are more than mad and that black men are more than thugs. For showing that blended families do work and that love is all a child needs. For showing that college can be fun, but it's primary purpose is still for learning.

For showing that racism does exist, but it's how we respond to it that matters. For showing that we are not our circumstances, we are what we make of them. For showing that giving back is a part of success. For showing that respecting your elders doesn't stop at 18. For showing that learning never stops. For showing that friendships do last.

Thank you for making television matter and making issues real.

Awkwardly,
Me