Bill Cosby on the Congressional Black Caucus, the Navy, Ebonics, Jesse Jackson (1997)

• published: 13 Jan 2015
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David Norman Dinkins (born July 10, 1927) is an American politician who served as the 106th Mayor of New York City, from 1990 to 1993. He was the first and, to date, only African American to hold that office. Before entering politics, Dinkins served in the US Marine Corps, graduated cum laude from Howard University, and received a law degree from Brooklyn Law School. He served as Manhattan borough president before becoming mayor. Under the Dinkins administration, crime in New York City decreased more dramatically and more rapidly than at any time in previous New York City history. After leaving office Dinkins was named professor of public affairs at Columbia University. Dinkins was a member of the Board of Directors of the United States Tennis Association, and a member of The Jazz Foundation of America. He serves on the boards of the New York City Global Partners, the Children's Health Fund (CHF), the Association to Benefit Children and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF). Dinkins is also on the Advisory Board of Independent News & Media and the Black Leadership Forum, is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and is Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Dinkins African American Vernacular English (AAVE) — also called African American English; less precisely Black English, Black Vernacular, Black English Vernacular (BEV), or Black Vernacular English (BVE) — is a variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of American English, most commonly spoken today by urban working-class and largely bi-dialectal middle-class African Americans.[1] Non-linguists sometimes call it Ebonics (a term that also has other meanings and connotations). It shares parts of its grammar and phonology with the dialects of the Southern United States. Several creolists, including William Stewart, John Dillard and John Rickford, argue that AAVE shares so many characteristics with African creole dialects spoken in much of the world that AAVE itself is a creole,[2] while others maintain that there are no significant parallels.[3][4][5][6][7] As with all linguistic forms, its usage is influenced by age, status, topic and setting. There are many literary uses of this variety of English, particularly in African-American literature. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Vernacular_English On December 1, 2014, Cosby resigned from Temple University's board of trustees. On December 3, Judy Huth filed a lawsuit against Cosby in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that Cosby sexually assaulted her in 1974 at the Playboy Mansion when she was 15 years old. The honorary title and status of Chief Petty Officer given to Cosby by the United States Navy in 2011 was revoked on December 4 as a result of the sexual assault allegations against him. In a press release, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Michael Stevens stated, "allegations of sexual abuse made against the comedian are serious and conflict with the Navy's core values of honor, courage and commitment." On December 11, Vanity Fair ran an article written by model Beverly Johnson, wherein she alleges that Cosby drugged her during an audition in 1986, and that other women she has spoken to since then have claimed Cosby drugged and/or fondled them, as well. On December 12, Cosby spoke to the New York Post but did not speak of the rape and sex abuse allegations. His comments to the Post were that his wife is standing by him and his belief that African-American media in the United States should remain impartial and neutral. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Cosby