Actress Phylicia Rashad is facing criticism over her support for Bill Cosby and his release from prison on June 30. As Sister 2 Sister reported, Cosby was released after his conviction was overturned because of a technicality by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Cosby was released after serving two of a three to 10-year sentence for drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004.
Rashad Tweeted support for her old friend and co-star’s release but was quickly roasted on social media for doing so. Even worse for Rashad, alumni and students of Howard University, Rashad’s alma mater, are demanding that Rashad be dismissed from her new post as dean of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University, according to the Daily Beast.
“FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted—a miscarriage of justice is corrected,” wrote Rashad.
Many sexual assault victims were offended by her Tweet, and calls for her to be terminated from Howard quickly followed, along with the hashtag #ByePhylicia. Rashad eventually deleted her Tweet supporting Cosby and posted a statement supporting survivors of sexual assault. Howard University responded as well with a Tweet denouncing Rashad’s initial support of Cosby.
Howard alum Nylah Burton said she was disappointed but not entirely surprised by The Cosby Show actress’ statement.
“I am learning not to expect anything from people when it comes to this issue of supporting survivors and sexual assault. I’ve just learned that people are just kind of shi**y, and especially the more people are empowered. So, when I saw her tweet, I honestly was not surprised. I don’t know if that’s the right thing to say, maybe I’m supposed to say that I’m shocked, disgusted, and can never imagine someone from my lovely university behaving this way. But that’s just not true. It didn’t surprise me. I call for her removal, whether or not I’d have the energy to fight for it is a whole other thing,” she said.
While Rashad’s Tweet was a horrible idea, some feel that taking a well-earned position from a 73-year-old Black woman and icon like Rashad in the name of supporting
women is going too far.The award-winning actress was named the new dean Howard University’s College of Fine Arts on May 12.