COMMENTARY
Sexism on Trial : Why did so many African-American women support R. Kelly?

By Allison Samuels | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jun 20, 2008 | Updated: 3:43 p.m. ET Jun 20, 2008


M. Spencer Green / AP
Dozens of African-American women cheered outside the courthouse when singer R. Kelly was acquitted.

Letisha Harlins made sure she took her lunch break early last Friday so she could sit in her black Honda and listen to the live radio broadcast of the R. Kelly verdict. Kelly was once Harlin's favorite musical celebrity. She plastered his album covers on her walls when she was in high school, and she saw him in concert nine times. But her support of the R&B crooner stopped six years ago when Kelly was arrested and charged with 14 counts of child ****ography and child endangerment. The charges were the result of a videotape allegedly showing Kelly having sex with an underage girl. Harlins, now 24, was crushed. "I just couldn't believe it,'' says the native of Chicago, which is also Kelly's hometown. "I'd put him on this pedestal for years and then I saw the tape. I can't even look at him anymore. I couldn't stand it.''

Harlins was crushed again this month when Kelly was found not guilty of all the charges. But almost as disturbing to her was how African-Americans, and especially African-American women, reacted to Kelly's acquittal. When the verdict was announced, dozens of black women (and some black men) cheered outside the courtroom as the singer made his way past them to his waiting tour bus. It wasn't just in Chicago. African-American blogs such as Young, Black and Fabulous, What About Our Daughters and Essence quickly filled up with letters from women exclaiming their joy over Kelly's freedom. "That had to hurt the most," said Harlins. "Seeing black women who could have very well been that girl--or had a daughter that could have been that girl--cheer that he got off. How could a woman not support the punishment of someone who hurt another woman? I just can't understand it."

It's important to note that the alleged victim herself refused to testify and had insisted that she wasn't on the tape; Kelly, too, insisted it wasn't him on the tape. Those factors undoubtedly contributed to Kelly's acquittal. Still, the reaction to the case raises a host of familiar, difficult issues, starting with the role celebrity can play in a criminal trial. Fame has long affected--or perverted--the way justice is meted out by a jury. The celebrity effect is arguably more pronounced when the defendant is black, in part because African-Americans feel protective when one of their own achieves mainstream success. "It's sick," says Aaron McGruder, creator of the comic strip "Boondocks," which featured a scathing episode focused on Kelly and his supporters. "The love we have for our celebrities in the black community no matter what they do is crazy, and there is no excuse for it. It's just blind and clueless." As the O. J. Simpson case demonstrated, some African-Americans believe that the criminal-justice system is so stacked against them, they almost don't care if a defendant is actually innocent or guilty. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's just nice so see a brother beat the system--the way I know white guys with money do all the time," said Lamont Gillyard, 25, a loan officer in Los Angeles. "It's not right, but there are so many black men in jail for stuff they didn't do, it's hard not feel like this is a way of balancing out the game that isn't fair anyway.''

What's different about the R. Kelly case is that the girl in the video was also black. Couldn't African-Americans empathize with her situation? As Harlins says, she could be their sister or their daughter. The way that the community has sided with Kelly is reminiscent of the rape case against Mike Tyson from the 1990s. Tyson was convicted and spent four years in jail, but many African-Americans still vilified his 18-year-old accuser, Desiree Washington. After she testified against him, Washington was harrassed to the point where she went into hiding and ultimately changed her name. "Black people were saying the same things they are saying with R. Kelly: that the girl knew what she was doing and basically deserved what she got," says Dion Phillips, 37, of Macon, Ga. "I can't believe I'm hearing the same thing now."

Why is that? In part because of the nature of the crime. Sex crimes may be viewed as less important in a community defined by race and the issues surrounding it. Sexism isn't discussed much in the black community, but it's hard not to think about it here. It remains to be seen what impact national figures such as Michelle Obama, who could become the first-ever African-American First Lady--will have on the self-esteem of African-American women, in a culture in which music videos and lyrics that constantly show women only as sex objects help diminish that self-esteem. "The type of education black women and black men have had about the importance of black women has been pretty much non-existent, and what they have seen hasn't been positive," says Ashley Dunn, a board member of Black Girls Rock, an organization dedicated to raising the self-esteem of black girls. "With that in mind, why would anyone get upset about a black girl being abused and urinated on? She was nothing anyway, and that is how both women and men feel in our community."

That may be beginning to change. The site What About Our Daughters posted a strongly worded petition this week urging black men to stand up for black women and to stop supporting anyone who exploits their daughters, sisters and wives (the site is run by women, but the petition was written by a man). "I would have to say," the site points out, "that during this entire R. Kelly ordeal, it was Black women and not Black men who acted the most disturbing in their defense of R. Kelly." Paul Helton, who's signed the petition, says it's long overdue. "I 've been sick to my stomach for a while with the way we treat our women," said Helton, 35, a high-school teacher in Inglewood, Calif. "So as soon as I saw the petition I had to sign it. We owe women more than just sitting around and saying nothing. We've been a part of taking away some of their self esteem. Now we have to be a part of giving it back."
© 2008

Although there are grains of truth in the article i'm still going to dimiss it. Why? Because it has racism at its heart. Yes black people in general are too forgiving of black celebs and yes black women need to get more respect but to make this a black women education issue is racist. Although I do believe R Kelly is a pervert the fact remains rightly or wrongly that he was aquitted and its wrong for the journalist to frame it as if he was guilty in an international newspaper. When white stars get off for crimes you do not see articles trying to paint them as being convcited. Also enough black peole have defended that little girl and slated Kelly in print so for the journalist to make out that no black people care about the victim is total BS.

Secondly to make out that just black people do this is bizzare. R Kelly is a major A List celeb in the black community and many of these women grew up on his music as I did (his white equivalent would be someone of Bruce Sprinsteens stature). How many white women do you think would be screaming 'yes' oustide court of Springsteen was aquitted of a crime? How many white people still worship Elvis even though he was sleeping with Pricilla when she was 13/14? Jerry Lee Lewis still had plenty of fans even though he slept with underage girls. Yes the fans are stupid for cheering like they are in R Kellys family but male celebs will always have screaming silly women surrounding them no matter wat they do. Also how many white women write to and even marry CONVICTED criminals like the Yorkshire Ripper who weren't even famous? The articles full of shit how come they only notice something when black people are involved?

I absolutely disagree!

Here's a good site: AfroLez Productions, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, NO!, Rape, Sexual Assault, Healing, Black Women

It is a about a documentary by a friend of mine, Aishah Shaheedah Simmons, about the silence of the black community regarding rape.

Also, the petition was not originated by a woman's site. It was originated by Dr. Jelani Cobb, a male African American professor at Spelman University in Atlanta.

He uses an online petition site: Black Men Against the Exploitation of Black Women Petition

Anyone in the world can link to the site to sign the petition and any organization can include the link on their site which a lot sites are doing, female and male.

Outside of the national media, there are many African American male groups organizing to correct the fact that eliminating sexism was never a part of the black movement and that all of the movements (black church, black muslims, armed black militants--ie Black Panthers, and the black nationalists) were sexist movements and sexual assault against women was treated more as a violation of a black man's property rather than a violation of a women's dignity. I was a member of MOAR -- Men Organized Against Rape -- and our major job in a rape case was dealing with the boyfriends, husbands, etc, who fumed and fussed, wanting to kick somebody's ass while screaming at the hurt, crying woman WHO DID IT? as if someone had the audacity to scratch their car.

The issue is not whether other societies do it (The Afghans and Iranis and Indians kill their women--their property). That doesn't excuse us. OUR issue is why we do it.

In Atlanta and D.C. more than 1/4 of the black women will be sexually molested.

There are well-known artists out of Philly whose CDs you buy who were sexually assaulted.

BET's shows Meet the Faith discusses this issue

Sorry,

the first article posted in "intellectual masturbation"........valid points in it, but clouded by some garbage...almost as if the actions of a handful of people "proves" the view the writer already held .

You can round up black folks to "prove" any viewpoint or notion that you have.



=======================================

anybody here ever watch menace to society with a woman and discuss the "pregancy" of that random girl with her?

I have, and the reactions I've gotten point more to what kinds of experiences the woman has seen or heard about it.......than anything about her morality or education or anything...

And people say the show the "Boondocks" is not anywhere close to representing the AA community on all levels...... LOL

Remember the R kelly trial episode......

best way to describe it!!!

cant someone write to that stupid woman!! it just reads awful
I wont be surprise if she's black herself

He appeals to their sensitivity, and they like his superficial appearance and associate him with sexuality and money. It's a no brainer, it wouldn't matter if he was gay or a paedophile, as long as the attention is directed correctly.

For who the cap fits, I'm afraid it doesn't get much deeper than that. People like Mr Kelly have the game down to a fine art, worked these women out to the letter....can even sell them respect.