Cosby, Poussaint Honored at Tufts

5th Eliot-Pearson Awards for Excellence in Children’s Media Recognizes Men for Influential Work

Legendary entertainer Bill Cosby and renowned psychiatrist, educator and social commentator Alvin F. Poussaint were honored Tufts on Friday for the fifth Eliot-Pearson Awards for Excellence in Children’s Media.

The Eliot-Pearson Awards for Excellence, cosponsored by the Communications and Media Studies Program (CMS) and the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development at Tufts, are given biennially to organizations, individuals or companies with a commitment to innovation, diversity, non-violence and developmentally appropriate media. Nominations are made in categories that include television, film, interactive media and media literacy and advocacy.

“Our selection committee conducts a rigorous search to recognize those who work to create media that are free of gender, racial and ethnic stereotypes and make a real difference in the lives of children,” said Julie Dobrow, the director of the CMS program. “Bill Cosby was a natural choice for this award based on his ability to educate audiences through humor and compassion, as was Alvin Poussaint for his understanding of children’s developmental differences.”

The Tufts Daily spoke to Cosby in an interview before the award ceremony to discuss his career and role in children’s entertainment.

Cosby is no stranger to Tufts, having served as commencement speaker in 2000. Poussaint is also familiar with the school, once teaching at Tufts School of Medicine. Both discussed the importance of using the media to combat racial stereotypes and other misinformation and Poussaint suggested no “screen time” for children under two years old, noting that kids who spend more time in front of a TV screen tend to do less well in school.

Cosby invited on stage a friend, Delis Etienne, a blind student from Haiti who is studying international relations at Tufts. Julie Dobrow, director of Tufts’ Communications and Media Studies program, is in the background.

Alvin Poussaint and Cosby with their Tufts swag.