For Immediate Release: September 27, 2021
Media Contact: media@colorofchange.org
Color Of Change Calls for Accountability from Corporate Enablers Following R. Kelly Conviction
NATIONWIDE — In response to the conviction of R. Kelly (Robert Sylvester Kelly) today on racketeering and sex trafficking charges, Color Of Change Senior Campaign Director Jade Magnus Ogunnaike issued the following statement:
“After more than two decades of sex crime allegations against R. Kelly, the Black women who are survivors of his abuse are finally seeing some measure of accountability imposed with the guilty verdict. Color Of Change, which created the #DropRKelly campaign in 2017, is in solidarity with the survivors as they continue to heal from their trauma and the pain of recounting and reliving their stories publicly. We also call for accountability from the powerful institutions that perpetuate a rape culture that has endangered, attempted to silence, and delayed justice for Black women and girls across the globe.
The saga of R. Kelly’s crimes illustrates how the issue of sexual violence and exploitation has permeated our cultural institutions and why accountability cannot end with a trial verdict. We must examine the ways in which we talk about gender-based violence within our society, and that starts with a confrontation of the ways in which the media and other corporate enablers perpetuate a culture of misogynoir. The media too often portrays sexual violence against Black women and girls in a manner that trivializes their abuse and provides a stage for abusers to extend their harm. Black trauma is not clickbait, and media companies have a responsibility to ensure their content does not harm survivors or discourage them from speaking out.
Black women and girls deserve to live free of sexual harassment, abuse, and violence, and corporate institutions — including news outlets, record labels, and streaming services — must stop providing abusers with a platform to thrive and profit in our culture. They must use their power to influence narratives that prioritize the wellbeing of survivors. We thank the millions of Color Of Change members who have fought for years to hold R. Kelly accountable, and with their ongoing support, we will continue to demand corporate enablers take concrete steps to end their promotion of abusers and support survivors of sexual assault.”
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About Color Of Change:
Color Of Change is the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. We help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by over 7 million members, we move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Visit www.colorofchange.org.