On a relatively quiet Saturday night behind the walls of SCI-Phoenix, the maximum security Pennsylvania prison where Bill Cosby served two and a half years of a three to ten year sentence for indecent aggravated assault, inmate Anthony “Benny-Do” Sutton pondered over the Impact of the establishment’s greatest celebrity.
That evening, about 164 miles south in Alexandria, Virginia, at Alfred Street Baptist Church, Dr. Howard-John Wesley used part of his sermon to reflect on the imprisoned comedian’s impact on popular culture.
Previously, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. of Chicago had made a public appeal to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf to release Cosby. He noted the 83-year-old comedian’s age and deteriorating health as the coronavirus pandemic rages.
And in New York the brothers of the Hebrew-Israelite congregation of Sh’ma Yisrael also supported Cosby.
In any case, the enduring legacy of Cosby and the legendary “The Cosby Show” were in the foreground. And Cosby noticed it himself.
“I would like to personally thank these great men and teachers of God’s scriptures for standing by and supporting me with the truth and the facts,” tweeted the comedian about the brothers of Sh’ma, highlighting Na Hasi and Prince in particular Nat out. “Please take care of these brothers… Shabbat Shalom for my brothers and sisters Dina and their mother Verita and her sister. Thank you so much and I can feel your prayers. “
In a separate statement, Cosby thanked Jackson.
“Mr. & Mrs. Cosby are forever grateful to Rev. Jackson and his family for having worked feverishly to get the state of Pennsylvania to release Mr. Cosby since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic began in April” said Cosby through a spokesman for Andrew Wyatt.
At SCI-Phoenix, Sutton repeated his appreciation for Cosby, whom he affectionately calls “the old man”.
“The old man was a huge influence on us men in here, and a lot of people didn’t think he would have the influence he had,” remarked Sutton on a phone call from SCI-Phoenix, the sprawling 128-acre prison complex outside of Philadelphia.
“The way he enlightened us, the way he encouraged us to stand up and be men in the community … and he shouldn’t even be here,” added Sutton, who also imprisoned a son at the facility Has.
Sutton helps lead Mann Up, a program designed to help change the lives of African American men on long prison terms. The program empowers and encourages black men to be better fathers, husbands, and community members.
Cosby, who is not a member, gave the program a significant boost, Sutton told NNPA Newswire.
“The old man brought us together and told us that a man is judged by how he treats his mother and wife and family,” said Sutton. “He instilled in us that a man cannot be considered a man if he does not deliver. He comes in here and doesn’t pretend he’s better than anyone. He keeps it simple.
“Look, he’s a political prisoner,” he continued. “He’s not here for a crime, but for adultery. But he’s not looking for favors, and with all his money and resources he has nothing more than what we have, no extras, when he could easily have extras. “
Sutton endorsed Cosby, who sent his team outside to help Sutton prepare for the inmate’s appeals.
Since Cosby’s conviction in 2018, the debate has raged over whether the star’s legacy and his hit 1980s sitcom “The Cosby Show” were worth preserving.
As noted in a 1992 Los Angeles Times article, Cosby is personally responsible for the employment, encouragement, and artistic support of more black writers than anyone else in television history.
“Cosby has shown that blacks can be wealthy and have an appropriate class,” the Times article said. “He showed that a black man can not only get a job, but also that he and his wife can have a successful career.”
In Virginia, Wesley recalled living in Chicago in the 1980s when he said there were many gangs.
“What was amazing is that statistics show through data that Thursday nights were the most peaceful nights in Chicago, with fewer murders on Thursday night than any other night,” Wesley told his ward. “Phone calls reduced to 911, gang violence was not widespread on Thursday evenings, the most peaceful time in black communities in the country.
“Because ‘The Cosby Show’ started on Thursday night and even die-hard criminals and would-be gangstas sat down on Thursday night to watch ‘The Cosby Show’,” he said. “It was responsible for opening the doors for all the black casting shows like the ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’, ‘Martin’ and others. The Cosby Show gave us the black family at their best. “
In his appeal to Wolf, Jackson also cited the impact Cosby had on the black community and beyond.
“He’s 84 and blind. Who will he hurt? “The well-known civil rights activist told the Philadelphia Tribune.” He should be home and free and stay away from all these germs.
“The government has to do something,” Jackson said firmly. “He shouldn’t be in jail yet.”
The activist said he has known Cosby since 1968 and seen his humanitarian side.
“He’s helped so many, many people,” Jackson said, referring to the many donations Cosby and his wife Camille have made to HBCUs and other organizations over the years. “I’m coming in to speak up because I also believe in justice.”
Back at SCI-Phoenix, Sutton remembered meeting Cosby for the first time behind bars.
“I told him I wanted to ask a favor,” Sutton recalled. “I said, ‘You have to give me your word that you would come over on a Saturday and be in the Mann Up organization.’ And he said to me, “Benny-Do, if God lets me live I’ll be there.”
“I told him we were going to put an organization together where we could change the narrative that we could go home and be decent people, decent citizens and decent neighbors, and change the way we think and our way of life,” he said. “So Mr. Cosby came over and he heard the program.
“I introduced him and there were 420 people and we all gave him a standing ovation,” said Sutton. “He’s a man who went through the Jim Crow era and the civil rights marches of the 1960s. He mentioned that he is blind and said he couldn’t see us, but he created such an atmosphere where we could enlighten ourselves with his wisdom. He had everyone’s attention. He’s been a hell of a lot of influence. “
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