I really don’t like R. Kelly. I don’t respect him and I don’t recognize any accomplishment or title anyone gives him. And while I could go into a long, extended rant about why I despise him (and have with my sister-in-law 
) and have despised him since I learned he liked little girls (back in ‘98), Jelani Cobb has put into words very eloquently exactly what needs to be said:
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.
For that, regardless of what fence you are on, speaks volumes. I’d be remissed if Jelani Cobb’s idea of creating a petition to show a tangible sign of solidarity within the Black community was paramount. Gina McCauley has been blogging about this cultural apathy towards Black women for the last coupe of years over at What About Our Daughters, and women advocacy groups have been existence since the ’60s.
Both of them, and really the whole Afrospear community, exemplify why the Black blogosphere is very important to our society. The collective amalgamation of opinions, domains, and actionable proposals shows a vibrant and caring community. While our voices are only a fraction of those who care, they are the next frontier in continuing the torch for those who have stood up for injustices in the past.
With that said, I encourage you to sign the petition and get all you know involved. The goals of the petition are simple (as described by Jelani):
- 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
I can honestly say that keeping these 4 idioms is not overly difficult for me. I never listened to his music (except for that one song with him and NAS back in the day).
Yeah, that’s right. Even ostentatious Fredric fell victim to the Pied Piper. But, I digress.
I was raised by many women and have been surrounded by great role models. I will work on improving my listening efforts and try my best to speak out to others who may be abusive.
So….what are you going to do? Can we get 10,000 signatures? As of this writing, we have 846 (I was 844).
Update: Lol. So, R. Kelly is such the ‘role model’ that he is actually cool with one of his supporters sitting in jail for the last 34 days for yelling ‘Free R. Kelly’ during court. From the Tribe:
Debra Triplett, 48, an Aurora grandmother who has several drug convictions, continues to be held in criminal contempt of court for yelling, “Free R. Kelly!” as the singer’s jury stepped off a courthouse elevator during his trial. Triplett has been unable to post the $5,000 cash bail imposed by Cook County Circuit Judge Vincent Gaughan when he ordered her immediately jailed May 22.
Nice! You put your ass out there for your boy, but he can’t even let you borrow some dough to get out!
For those who want to spread the message, here is a badge for your blog linking to the petition.
