Pastor says "Stop twerking, start working"

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- "Stop twerking and start working." Pastor Kevin Cosby bellowed the phrase Sunday in his message at Saint Stephen Church driving an "honest conversation about race."

Cosby may be west Louisville's most prominent preacher. Saint Stephen is the largest African American church in Kentucky and Cosby is also president of Simmons College, one of the fastest-growing historically black colleges in the nation.

But you will not find his influence in any of the local Ferguson protests. "I'm not marching over hands up -- don't shoot!' because we're the ones doing the shooting," Cosby shouted in that same sermon "But I will march if you change it from 'Hands up -- don't shoot!' to 'Books open -- don't flunk!'"

Louisville stands among many cities seeing public demonstrations by protesters outraged over the exoneration of officers who killed African Americans in Ferguson, Missouri and New York earlier this year.

"It was never my intent in my sermon to diminish the concerns of those who are addressing an issue that has always been a critical issue in the black community -- and that is our engagement with the police," Cosby said.

Cosby affirms the message, but said he took to the pulpit on December 7th to talk about the less popular plights plaguing the African American community. "The issues of moral ambiguity, family disintegration and academic underachievement -- I think these are three critical issues that need to be addressed," Cosby said.

The message come in the same week as one of Michael Brown's relatives visit to Louisville. Sabrina Webb is Brown's Cousin. She witnessed the explosions in Ferguson after officer Darren Wilson was cleared for the teen's death.

Webb's visit coincides with a community conversation in Louisville hosted by rapper Master P. The topic: conflict resolution and ways to avoid violence in urban communities.

Webb addressed challenges fighting for change. "We don't know if we're walking from a store and you're (officer) going to come and you're gonna beat us with a stick," Webb said. "We just don't know, so we're on defense mode, 24/7."

Webb's cause may not be the same as Cosby's but the pastor believes both are needed to have that "honest" conversation.

"Nothing will work out right until we as a people get right," he said.