This petition was inspired by the R. Kelly verdict from last week, read and pass along.
Statement of Black Men Against the Exploitation of Black WomenSix 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.
Keep reading and sign petition here.
Thanks to Kara for the heads up.
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I am more than glad that this is creating more conciousness. I pray that it is. Really. Black women are so invisible in Black community. It saddens me deeply.
I am more than glad that this is creating more conciousness. I pray that it is. Really. Black women are so invisible in Black community. It saddens me deeply.
Ummmm. No. The reason I won't sign the petition is because when this whole video broke out and I decided that Kelly was singer non-gratis, my ex objected, and a whole lot of other black women were backing him up. So until the petition directs itself at both parties (that is men and women), I wont be party to it.
this is awesome.
This is a step in the right direction. Each year I continue my slow retreat from pop culture, so ignoring one more fool won't really make a difference.