Bill Cosby is one of the most influential performers of the last half century. From a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, he rose to dominate the airwaves through shows like
I Spy and
The Cosby Show; become the all-time bestselling comedian on records; and author several blockbuster books, including
Fatherhood, which became the fastest-selling hardcover book of all time and spent 54 weeks on the
New York Times bestseller list. A crusader throughout his career, his success is complemented by involvement with a host of charitable, education, and civil rights organizations.
Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D., grew up in a family of eight children in East Harlem, New York. He is a veteran of the civil rights movement, serving as Southern Field Director of the Medical Committee for Human Rights in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s. He is currently a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Judge Baker Children's Center. Dr. Poussaint is coauthor of Raising Black Children and Lay My Burden Down.
