WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sept. 9, 2009 – The Independent Women’s Forum will host “About Our Children…” a live event featuring Bill Cosby,” and moderated by IWF president and CEO and MSNBC political analyst Michelle D. Bernard, on Sunday, Sept. 20, 7-9 p.m ET. Live from Howard University’s Ira Aldridge Theater and telecast on MSNBC, Cosby and several panelists will discuss poverty in America, focusing on the parenting, education, and health issues facing the poor in the United States.
Panelists include:
Dr. Daniel Amen, founder of the Amen Clinics; Derrell Bradford, deputy director of Excellence in Education for Everyone; Ben Austin, executive director of the Los Angeles based Parents Union; Dr. Ben Chavis, former principal of American Indian Public Charter School and author of the soon to be released book “Crazy Like a Fox: One Principal’s Triumph in the Inner City;” Dr. Alvin Poussaint, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; and, Paul Rodriguez, actor and civic and education activist.
“We have said it before and we will say it again: education is key for poor people…”
– Bill Cosby and Dr. Alvin Poussaint
“About Our Children…” is about the future of all of America’s children and their shot at truly achieving the American dream. This program will challenge us individually and collectively to talk openly and honestly about what ails our children and then act on what we already know can be done to help our great nation’s children achieve their dreams.
– Michelle D. Bernard
Questions for Bill Cosby and the other panelists will be taken in advance and during the event via Email, YouTube, Twitter, FaceBook and MySpace.
This event is free and open to the public. For ticket information please contact Howard University’s Box Office at 202-806-7194.
If you are a member of the media, please contact Kate Pomeroy at 202-361-6704 or [email protected].
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Dr. Bill Cosby is one of the most influential performers in the last half century. Coming from a poor Philadelphia neighborhood, he rose to reshape the nation’s airwaves through shows like I Spy and The Cosby Show. He became one of the most successful storytellers on record, and authored several blockbuster books, including Fatherhood, the fastest-selling hardcover book of all time, which spent 54 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Bill Cosby, in his work as an entertainer, has always communicated philosophies that help people see their human commonalities.
Michelle D. Bernard is the president and CEO of the Independent Women’s Forum, a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) research and educational institution, and Independent Women’s Voice. Bernard is a MSNBC political analyst and a regular panelist on MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews as well as a columnist with The Washington Examiner. Bernard is the author of Women’s Progress: How Women Are Wealthier, Healthier and More Independent Than Ever Before (Spence Publishing) and a contributing author to the National Urban League’s State of Black America (2009) and Lifetime Networks’ Secrets of Powerful Women: 25 Successful American Politicians Tell How They Got Where They Are and What It’s Like (Hyperion Books/February 2010).