The Gang

acrylic and resin on wood plank

Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids is an American animated series created, produced, and hosted by comedian Bill Cosby, who also lent his voice to a number of characters, including Fat Albert himself. The producers initially wanted NBC to bring Fat Albert to Saturday mornings, but the network programming managers refused because the series was too educational. Bill Cosby and a new production company, Filmation Associates, then took the property to CBS where the show premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran until 1985. The show, based on Cosby's remembrances of his childhood gang, centered on Fat Albert (known for his catchphrase "Hey hey hey!"), and his friends.

Fat Albert primarily spoke to Black youth, a segment of the population previously ignored by Saturday morning programming. However, the show had an impact on children across the United States, regardless of race. The show always had an educational lesson emphasized by Cosby’s live-action cameos, and the gang would always gather in their North Philadelphia junkyard to play a song on their cobbled-together instruments, summarizing the show's lesson. Cosby’s Kids had an upbeat attitude and were eager to learn, in spite of their apparent poverty.

Featured in The Gang are Russell, Dumb Donald, and Mushmouth.

Purp

acrylic on canvas

Most of us who understand beauty in it’s truest sense know that it is inclusive of all shades of people. However, in many cultures and countries around the world, skin color plays a huge role in the concept of beauty. The reality is, most of the time in the Black community, the internalized racism is so intense that light-skinned Blacks are viewed differently than dark-skinned Blacks. The effects of the African American self-hate toward each other because of one’s skin color is an eye opening sad occurrence.

Frequent sightings of dark skinned people portrayed negatively in the media is heavily exploited, while light skinned and non-black individuals are portrayed more positively.These types of prejudgements negatively impact the African American community and prevents the culture from moving forward.

In an interview with Essence Magazine, actress Viola Davis discusses how, as a child, she too felt the pain of being called an assortment of derogatory terms and shares how after a while, she began to believe that she in fact, was ugly.

The African American community must join together to show that they are more than just a skin, they are people. Although this may be a rather taboo subject, it needs to be brought to the forefront so it can finally be put to rest.

Purp is my tribute to all women of color. Purple has long been the color of royalty, signifying nobility, and symbolizing sacred wisdom and enlightenment.