Alabama, Bill Cosby is coming for you.
The Associated Press is reporting that the besieged comedian and actor will visit Alabama Thursday and Friday, putting the spotlight on schools in the state's rural, impoverished Black Belt. He'll also meet and march with high school students in Selma, crossing the historic Edmund Pettus Bridge (the scene of Bloody Sunday in 1965).
Cosby, a longtime education advocate, has had his more philanthropic work capsized by the multitude of sexual assault allegations from more than 25 women. These allegations are currently being lobbed at him as the comic continues to tour, give interviews and engage in charitable work, like his upcoming speaking tour in the Black Belt—named for its "fertile black soil" but also known for its poverty and high unemployment rate.
In Alabama, Cosby will talk to high school students on behalf of the nonprofit Black Belt Community Foundation and its new campaign to "improve education in the south-central part of the state."
Organizers said they were "grateful" for Cosby's volunteering of his time.
"We are really grateful for the opportunity to shed light on the plight of our children," said Black Belt Community Foundation President Felecia Lucky. "We're hoping that people will realize, now more than anything, is that Black Belt children matter."