Cosby tells parents to take more responsibility

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Wire Services CHICAGO (AP) - Entertainer Bill Cosby, who has sparked controversy for biting public remarks about blacks and parenting, delivered a strong charge to parents Wednesday: Step up. "It's not the schools. It's not the streets. It's not even the church," said Cosby, speaking at a conference hosted by Chicago Public Schools. "You've got to build confidence in your child in your home." About 9,000 parents and educators attended the "Power of Parents" seminar, a two-day event at McCormick Place that resembled a cross between political rally, academic seminar and religious revival. Cosby, 69, has been criticized for aiming curt remarks on personal responsibility at the black community and picking on the poor, but didn't back down Wednesday. "In order to tell you how to get out of poverty I have to tell you what you're doing wrong," he said. "I've never given any crowd a whooping; I've cheered you on. But who hasn't said it sitting with friends? So what's the problem?" He didn't take any questions from reporters and no one mentioned a lawsuit he settled last month with a woman who said Cosby sexually assaulted her at his home outside Philadelphia. The crowd didn't seem too concerned. Cosby received two standing ovations, and drew uproarious laughter and constant attention from cell phone cameras and video recorders. "He tells it like it is," said Kirk Haygood, who has three children. "It's hard being a parent, but you have to pay attention to what's going on." After Cosby's speech and a question-and-answer period, he stayed more than 30 minutes later than scheduled to answer questions from a vocal group of parents who wanted to know how they could keep their children from cursing and skipping school. Cosby jumped up from behind the conference table full of education and counseling experts and paced the stage. "Sit down with your child and say, 'What's wrong?"' he said. "You may not be able to crack the child the first 17 times you talk." The conference included a screening of the film "Boys of Baraka," which chronicles the experiences of four at-risk 12-year-old boys from Baltimore who leave home to attend an experimental boarding school in Kenya. Other speakers included Mayor Richard Daley and education reformer George McKenna. McKenna, a former teacher in the Los Angeles Unified School District, was the subject of a CBS movie starring Denzel Washington. Cosby was scheduled to return for late afternoon sessions Wednesday, including one just for men. Sixteen-year-old Matthew Reed, a sophomore at Orr High School, planned to return to hear Cosby again. "He's saying what we say everyday," Reed said. "We should do better."