March 28, 2016
The National Museum of African American History and Culture in the District of Columbia has not yet opened but is already stirring controversy. An exhibit that is slated to include memorabilia related to Bill Cosby's entertainment career, does not mention the sexual assault allegations made against him, reports the New York Times.
The NMAAHC exhibit at the Smithsonian, which is scheduled to open in September, is called "Taking the Stage." Cosby will not be the main focus, but the exhibit will include a copy of his 1964 comedy record "I Started Out as a Child," a comic book based on his 1960s TV show "I Spy," and video clips from "I Spy" and "The Cosby Show."
“It is hard to identify anyone who had a stronger impact on the representation of African-Americans on television in the 20th century," curator Kathleen Kendrick told the newspaper.
Officials from the museum said they wanted to focus on Cosby's achievements and not on the sexual assault allegations against him reportedly made by 57 women.
The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office charged Cosby with aggravated indecent assault in December for allegedly drugging and raping Andrea Constand, a former Temple University employee. The incident reportedly occurred at Cosby's Cheltenham Township home in 2004.
Three of Cosby's accusers have objected to the museum's decision not to acknowledge the allegations.
"If they just speak about the contributions, there will be this enormous presence that is not talked about," Patricia Leary Steur told the Times. Steuer accused Cosby of drugging and raping her in 1978 and 1980.
This is not the first Smithsonian museum to face Cosby-related criticism. The National Museum of African Art had to put up a sign in 2014 at an exhibit that featured some artworks donated by Bill Cosby and his wife, saying that it "in no way condones Mr. Cosby's behavior" and that the exhibit "is fundamentally about the artworks and the artists who created them, not Mr. Cosby."
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