We have had this conversation in our salons, barbershops, and homes. We’ve discussed this while our daughters are sound asleep on the other side of the wall. We’ve made this horrendous situation into a joke through various skits with no thought of how those girls felt. We’ve let it be because his songs graced out weddings, kids’ graduation, and cook-outs. The Surviving R. Kelly part 2 to the docu-series aired January 3rd, 2020. This documentary is a great example of how black girls aren’t cared for and how status can be one of the biggest killers in a community.
The fact that this carried on for 30 years with help throughout the industry is not only disheartening but vial. It’s worse to think that some people didn’t believe their stories because he was considered a legend in the community. People knew but never quite spoke on it in the way that it needed to be. This makes me stop and wonder if the art he made is held to a higher stature than black girls’ life? The need to "step in the name of love" is so much more important than making sure that a man is put away for abusing young girls.These were innocent young girls who wanted a chance at fame because they believed it would turn their life around. They all had a dream or goal to reach and he fed from that. If they weren’t young girls, they were broken women. He tends to aim for urban areas that struggle with poverty. He then takes these young girls and shows them a lifestyle that they are not use to and basically coheres them into believing that the end all be all to fame, happiness, and pleasure is him. Between the ages of 13-19 no young girl has truly went through a loving experience that shows them this what love is suppose to be. Being in that age gap I can truthfully say that I do not know what love is. Going through something so disgusting as they did not only tarnish what was left of their childhood but left heavy trauma to carry on into their adulthood.
The documentary showcased not only what they went through but what R. Kelly went through. At a young age he was molested by a neighbor then a family member, his sister. His brother Carey and Bruce Kelley shared what they knew about his molestation and their stories. This skewered his view at sexual experiences. It got me to thinking, “Well maybe he just needs some help” and I started to feel sorry for him. There was a war going on inside of me. My womanhood was battling my race. There was this man inside of my community hurting women that looked like me, but he was also a black male that I wanted to protect. Then I thought about how he used that same tactic to get close to these girls.
What he did was thought out all too well. He knew that he had to befriend people in the police department and higher up places. His mental knew what he was doing was entirely wrong; hanging out in front of high schools, malls, and befriending young girls so that they could bring their friends around. It was calculated to the “T” and he felt like he was the man. Letting this man get away without serving any jail time would be a loss to these women and the ones that share similar stories. 30 women came fourth and shared these similar stories or the exact same story. They make be women telling their stories now, but they were GIRLS when they were taken advantage of.
I don’t understand why there is so much kickback for getting these girls justice. I hope that these women achieve peace. It doesn’t have to come now, but eventually I hope it is gifted to them along with justice. The things they went through I cannot imagine what I would do at an age of 13,14, even being 19. As I carry my sister to put her to bed, I want these women to know that I support them. I support the ones that are still healing before they can tell their stories. I want them to know that is isn’t their faults. I thank them for coming forward and reliving that hurt again for us. This documentary wasn’t a conspiracy, it wasn’t entertainment. This documentary is the narrative that no one seems to care about, the hurt and destruction of black girls. If these girls were white would it ended with 15-year-old Tiffany Hawkins? We may never know, but what we do know is that from now on and forever we must protect our black girls.