When W. Kamau Bell received word that his docuseries “We Need to Talk About Cosby” was nominated for two Emmys he was doing what every good parent does in the summer, making his kids’ lunches for camp.
“I was cutting up carrots, cutting up cucumbers because two vegetables are important in a kid’s lunch,” he explained. “Then I found out I had done it so well that I was nominated for Emmys.”
Bell served as producer and executive producer of the four-part series that follows “Cosby’s descent from ‘America’s Dad’ to alleged sexual predator.”
“I didn’t start this career-thing and think I’d direct a four-hour series about Bill Cosby, who’d been my hero for my whole life, until I found out, what we all found out, about the over 60 women who accused him of rape,” Bell explained. “It was hard, it was painful, but it felt necessary.”
“How do we talk about sexual assault in America? We still don’t do a good job of it,” he further said. “How do we, sort of, talk about the influence of Bill Cosby had on many of us- especially many of us of a certain age without talking about the rest of it?”
Now, Bell has written a new book called “Do the Work: An Antiracist Activity Book.”
Bell has dubbed the workbook an “antiracist Highlights magazine” for adults that need a guide on how to “do the work towards an antiracist society.”
“America’s in kind of a state right now. America could go either way as in good or bad,” Bell said with a laugh. “America could end up being like that nightclub that used to be cool that nobody goes to anymore. Basically, democracy’s at stake and we need to get people motivated to do the work.”
When it comes to “the work,” the stand-up comic wants people to incorporate antiracist behavior in their lives daily.
“Creating an antiracist society is not something you do by changing your square to black on Instagram,” he said. “It’s something you do everyday. It’s not about buying Juneteenth ice cream. It’s not about asking your Black friends to tell you about Kwanzaa. It’s about doing things every day, the same way many of you got on that Peloton in 2020 every day.”
Bell and his co-author Kate Schatz are set to speak at Second Hand Hollywood on July 25.
Order “Do the Work: An Antiracist Activity Book” here.