Professor
Speaks Out in Media Appearances
A
strong belief in speaking out beyond the university
walls drove Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor
in the School of Public Policy (SPP), to appear in media
outlets across the country this summer.
An
“important part of what we should do as professors
is speak about issues of importance outside the university
and speak to people who aren’t just our students,”
he said.
Bill
Cosby ignited protests for comments he made at two separate
conferences. Cosby (most recently known as Dr. Cliff
Huxtable of “The Cosby Show”) repeatedly
criticized the black community. At one point, he lectured
low-income black parents for not teaching their children
to read and write, and another time he criticized black
children for using curse words.
“Stop
beating up your women because you can’t find a
job,” Cosby said in yet another address to black
men.
Despite
the controversy, Michael Fauntroy was among those who
stuck up for the sitcom star during a first-time television
appearance on Channel 9’s early morning news in
July.
“There’s
a lot of politics going on here,” he said
during the broadcast. “Part of the problem
is you’ll have racial conservatives using
Bill Cosby’s language to validate their
own illegitimate ideas for what public policy
should be.”
Fauntroy
encouraged the audience to pay closer attention
to Cosby’s true message. “It really
does take a village to raise children, and that
village extends from a child’s house to
the White House,” Fauntroy said.
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Following
his television appearance, Fauntroy continued to speak
out about other issues. He has been interviewed on radio
stations in Colorado, Florida, Texas and Washington,
D.C., speaking on topics that range from the role African
Americans are playing in the upcoming presidential election
to the Illinois senatorial race between Barack Obama
and Alan Keyes.
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