*A new group of voices has joined a campaign against R. Kelly.
The Women of Color (WOC) within the Time’s Up movement announced this morning (April 30) that it has teamed with the existing online campaign #MuteRKelly, reports Billboard.
An open letter by the women of color in @TIMESUPNOW imploring people everywhere to #MuteRKelly: https://t.co/UL2cYivYc1 #TimesUp pic.twitter.com/birxUwgmHp
— The Root (@TheRoot) April 30, 2018
“The scars of history make certain that we are not interested in persecuting anyone without just cause,” reads the letter in part. “With that said, we demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly’s abuse made by women of color and their families for over two decades now.”
Citing the recent guilty verdict reached in the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby, the WOC letter further notes, “For too long, our community has ignored our pain … As Women of Color within Time’s Up, we recognize that we have a responsibility to help right this wrong. The recent court decision against Bill Cosby is one step towards addressing these ills but it is just a start. We call on people everywhere to join with us to insist on a world in which women of all kinds can pursue their dreams free from sexual assault, abuse and predatory behavior.”
The WOC specifically targets RCA, Kelly’s label, as well as four other entities with current business ties to Kelly: Spotify, Apple Music, Ticketmaster and Greensboro Coliseum Complex, reports Billboard. The latter two organizations are involved with Kelly’s upcoming May 11 show in Greensboro, North Carolina, one of the stops on the singer’s Memory Lane tour that began last November.
Targeting issues that are especially important to women and girls of color, The Women of Color of Time’s Up includes activists, executives, filmmakers, actresses, authors, athletes, women in tech, advertising, science and other industries. Among women of color who helped establish Time’s Up in January: producer Shonda Rhimes, actresses Rashida Jones, America Ferrara, Eva Longoria, Lena Waithe and Kerry Washington, director Ava Duvernay and attorneys Nina Shaw and Tina Tchen (also chair of the Recording Academy’s new task force for inclusion and diversity).
Read the letter in its entirety below:
To Our Fellow Women of Color:
We see you. We hear you. Because we are you.
For too long, our community has ignored our pain. The pain we bear is a burden that too many women of color have had to bear for centuries. The wounds run deep.
As Women of Color within Time’s Up, we recognize that we have a responsibility to help right this wrong. We intend to shine a bright light on our WOC sisters in need. It is our hope that we will never feel ignored or silenced ever again.
The recent court decision against Bill Cosby is one step towards addressing these ills but it is just a start. We call on people everywhere to join with us to insist on a world in which women of all kinds can pursue their dreams free from sexual assault, abuse and predatory behavior.
To this end, today we join an existing online campaign called #MuteRKelly.
Over the past 25 years, the man known publicly as R. Kelly has sold 60 million albums, toured the globe repeatedly, and accumulated hundreds of millions of plays on radio and streaming services.
During this time, he also …
Married a girl under 18 years of age;
Was sued by at least 4 women for sexual misconduct, statutory rape, aggravated assault, unlawful restraint, and furnishing illegal drugs to a minor;
Was indicted on 21 counts of child pornography;
Has faced allegations of sexual abuse and imprisonment of women under threats of violence and familial harm;
Together, we call on the following corporations and venues with ties to R. Kelly to join us and insist on safety and dignity for women of all kinds:
RCA Records – The venerable music label currently produces and distributes R. Kelly’s music;
Ticketmaster – The popular ticketing system is currently issuing tickets for R. Kelly’s show on May 11;
Spotify and Apple Music – The popular streaming platforms currently monetizing R. Kelly’s music;
Greensboro Coliseum Complex – The venue is currently hosting an R. Kelly concert on May 11.
The scars of history make certain that we are not interested in persecuting anyone without just cause. With that said, we demand appropriate investigations and inquiries into the allegations of R. Kelly’s abuse made by women of color and their families for over two decades now. And we declare with great vigilance and a united voice to anyone who wants to silence us – their time is up.
Together, We Are Strong,
WOC | TIME’S UP
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