By: Erin Flood (’19), Staff Writer
If they were white girls, would we as a society care more? Would we have done a better job at protecting them? Would R. Kelly be cancelled, like actually cancelled, not the “cancelled” that Twitter assures us is happening even though we simultaneously saw his Apple Music/Spotify streams fly through the roof? Questions like these I believe many of us already know the answer to: if these weren’t Black girls suffering, a documentary wouldn’t have been necessary to entice companies and his fans to consider punishing him for his actions. I use the word “consider” because even after R. Kelly’s sick actions were brought to light in incredible detail, his fame remains considerably untarnished. I mean, the singer just announced he’s going on an overseas tour even amongst the allegations.
So why do we as a society let this happen? What is it about Black girls and Black women that make us unworthy of being believed or protected? Because these instances of failing Black girls is not just in the realm of sexual violence and assault; most recently, Twitter has been cluttered with news of Black women encountering medical complications because of neglectful medical practices. But, there’s nothing new about this pattern. Black women are continuously belittled by society while also being characterized as growing up too fast. The world would rather force us into a box checked “mature” than try to protect us. So, I wasn’t surprised when I saw that throughout the documentary and on Twitter, people made excuses for R. Kelly’s actions; the girls were being called stupid, fast and his actions were being interpreted as a “preference.” How is it that society has found a way to put the blame on children, but excuse the actions of a 52-year old man? Make it make sense.
Some may separate the fault from his actions simply because of what happened to him. R. Kelly’s crimes are an example of how your own trauma can cause you to create trauma for others. Being sexually violated, he has been in a similar situation to his very own victims. It’s clear that the high he gets from controlling young women could be interpreted as a way to cope with his own body being taken advantage of. But if this were the case, his course of action is the worst way to deal with his trauma. We cannot excuse his crimes based on his traumatic life experiences. We can wish that the predators that violated him were penalized while also hoping that he is punished as well.
Let’s also not solely focus on the criminalizing of R. Kelly; we cannot forget the multiple adults that enabled his actions. From his brother excusing his actions as a simple preference to his assistant forging the marriage license between him and 15-year old Aaliyah, each person involved should be condemned as well. By sitting idly, those adults served as accomplices to R. Kelly.
As a Black woman, who has been the age of all these girls, it’s scary to know how easily it could have been me in the same situation. To those girls: I am so sorry this happened to you. We as a society failed to protect you then and have now failed to fully bring him down. You deserve more than what the world has given you. Being a Black woman is one of the most beautiful things you can be in this world and I wish the legal system, his fans, and society valued that enough to protect you. To those still supporting R. Kelly: I can’t comprehend being in your position. I don’t see how a song on your Spotify playlist is more important than someone’s life-changing, traumatic experience. I don’t see how listening to his songs don’t remind you of his sick past and present. I only see how your continued support is allowing him to remain in the position he is, making it just as easy to continue ruining the lives of many young, Black girls and women. A song is not worth it to me, and it shouldn’t be to you.
