Bill Cosby recently spoke with 500 high school freshmen at Riverside Church about the importance of education. The event, hosted by TC, was held in honor of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. "Take that education," Cosby told the teens. "Don't tell me it's boring. You're going to be boring in about 10 years, and you may be boring while you're sitting in a cell, because you decided to do something that breaks the law. Why? Because you couldn't get a job. Why? Because you didn't want to give yourself a chance. Why? Because you don't like yourself."

Cosby's son, Ennis, was a doctoral student at TC when he was fatally shot in 1997.

The article, entitled "Cosby Brings 'Tough Love' Message," appeared in the February 2 edition of Newsday.

Published Sunday, Mar. 14, 2004