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Six
years have gone by since we first heard the allegations that R. Kelly
had filmed himself having sex with an underage girl. During that time
we have seen the videotape being hawked on street corners in Black
communities, as if the dehumanization of one of our own was not at
stake. We have seen entertainers rally around him and watched his
career reach new heights despite the grave possibility that he had
molested and urinated on a 13-year old girl. We saw African Americans
purchase millions of his records despite the long history of such
charges swirling around the singer. Worst of all, we have witnessed the
sad vision of Black people cheering his acquittal with a fervor usually
reserved for community heroes and shaken our heads at the stunning lack
of outrage over the verdict in the broader Black community.
 Over these years, justice has been delayed and it has been denied.
Perhaps a jury can accept R. Kelly's absurd defense and find
"reasonable doubt" despite the fact that the film was shot in his home
and featured a man who was identical to him. Perhaps they doubted that
the young woman in the courtroom was, in fact, the same person featured
in the ten year old video. But there is no doubt about this: some young
Black woman was filmed being degraded and exploited by a much older
Black man, some daughter of our community was left unprotected, and
somewhere another Black woman is being molested, abused or raped and
our callous handling of this case will make it that much more difficult
for her to come forward and be believed. And each of us is responsible
for it.
We have proudly seen the community take to the streets in defense
of Black men who have been the victims of police violence or racist
attacks, but that righteous outrage only highlights the silence
surrounding this verdict.
We believe that our judgment has been clouded by celebrity-worship;
we believe that we are a community in crisis and that our addiction to
sexism has reached such an extreme that many of us cannot even
recognize child molestation when we see it.
We recognize the absolute necessity for Black men to speak in a single,
unified voice and state something that should be absolutely obvious:
that the women of our community are full human beings, that we cannot
and will not tolerate the poisonous hatred of women that has already
damaged our families, relationships and culture.
We believe that our daughters are precious and they deserve our
protection. We believe that Black men must take responsibility for our
contributions to this terrible state of affairs and make an effort to
change our lives and our communities.
This is about more than R. Kelly's claims to innocence. It is about our survival as a community.
Until we believe that our daughters, sisters, mothers, wives and
friends are worthy of justice, until we believe that rape, domestic
violence and the casual sexism that permeates our culture are
absolutely unacceptable, until we recognize that the first priority of
any community is the protection of its young, we will remain in this
tragic dead-end.
We ask that you:
- Sign your name if you are a Black male who supports this statement: http://www.petitiononline.com/rkelly/petition.html
- Forward this statement to your entire network and ask other Black males to sign as well
- Make a personal pledge to never support R. Kelly again in any form or
fashion, unless he publicly apologizes for his behavior and gets help
for his long-standing sexual conduct, in his private life and in his
music
- Make a commitment in your own life to never to hit, beat,
molest, rape, or exploit Black females in any way and, if you have,
to take ownership for your behavior, seek emotional and spiritual help,
and, over time, become a voice against all forms of Black female
exploitation
- Challenge other Black males, no matter their age, class or
educational background, or status in life, if they engage in behavior
and language that is exploitative and or disrespectful to Black females
in any way. If you say nothing, you become just as guilty.
- Learn to listen to the voices, concerns, needs, criticisms,
and challenges of Black females, because they are our equals, and
because in listening we will learn a new and different kind of Black
manhood
We support the work of scholars, activists and organizations
that are helping to redefine Black manhood in healthy ways. Additional
resources are listed below.
Books:
Who's Gonna Take the Weight, Kevin Powell
New Black Man, Mark Anthony Neal
Deals with the Devil and Other Reasons to Riot, Pearl Cleage
Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality, Rudolph Byrd and Beverly Guy-Sheftall
Films:
I Am A Man: Black Masculinity in America, by Byron Hurt
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes, by Byron Hurt
NO! The Rape Documentary, by Aishah Simmons
Organizations
The 2025 Campaign: www.2025bmb.org
Men Stopping Violence: www.menstoppingviolence.org
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It makes me proud to see Black men stand up and speak from a place of love (because that's what it is) about this issue. It gives me hope that change is possible.
I know you'll probably have push back from naysayers but it's time that we wake up as a community about sexualized exploitation that's happening to the women in our lives. I hope folks take the time to think of what you've said and really reflect. The only way we'll survive as a community is if we count everyone as being of worth, not just a select few.
Peace and love upon you.
Jackie