From the AUGUST 2003 issue of ESSENCE magazine

In the Matter of R. Kelly

By Kevin Powell

This piece is about the R&B singer R. Kelly, who will face child pornography charges in a Chicago courtroom this month. But then again, it’s not. What it’s really about is how too often we in the Black community fail to respond in anger when even the most atrocious acts are committed against us by famous people who happen to look like us.

I have been troubled by this issue since R. Kelly, 36, was first charged with 21 counts of child pornography, including engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old girl. Whether he’s guilty of these charges, or others he’s facing in Florida, I don’t know.

But I do know that Kelly has settled two lawsuits filed by women who accused him of having sex with them when they were minors. And we all know that he married the singer Aaliyah when she was 15 years old by obtaining an Illinois marriage certificate that said she was 18. (The union was annulled.) What bothers me is that while some of us have spoken out against Kelly, many people still embrace him.

Kelly’s most recent album, Chocolate Factory, jumped to No. 1 on the Billboard charts its first week out, selling more than 500,000 copies. A children’s book about him, I Can Fly, was re-released in March by Unique Expressions to "uplift women and children," according to Kim Dulaney, the company’s president. And I haven’t forgotten the rally that was held for him in Chicago last August.

At the event, 40 children who wore pro-Kelly T-shirts joined approximately 100 adults. One adult, who helped bring children to the rally, said she was there because kids needed role models.

Supporting Black male celebrities who behave reprehensibly is not new. Let’s not forget the welcome home rally for Mike Tyson in Harlem after he was released from prison in 1995 for rape, or the support of Mayor Marion Barry, who was smoking crack while in public office.

Do we remain silent because White racism is alive and well we fear we may add to the troubles of Black celebrities by weighing in on their sins? Are we subconsciously saying it’s okay for us to be abused, molested and lied to because we don’t expect more for ourselves and our race? What disturbs me is the comments from Black people who show little sympathy for the girls involved with R. Kelly. I’ve heard some say that if a 14-year-old girl had sex with him, she must have wanted it. Did we forget that adults have to accept responsibility for their actions even if a child has been socialized to do grown-ups things?

In the 2002 BET interview with Ed Gordon, R. Kelly admitted he’d made mistakes. But I’d say any artist who habitually makes songs about his insatiable sexual appetite and songs that compare women to automobiles, has a serious problem. Rather than challenging Kelly to seek help, we’re sending a message that the charges against him shouldn’t be taken seriously, and that his life should return to normal.

But R. Kelly will never be "normal" or healthy as long as he thinks haters are at the root of his problems. And neither will we, as long as we don’t demand more of ourselves and of the people we call our heroes.

Kevin Powell is the author of Who’s Gonna Take the Weight? Manhood, Race, and Power in America (Crown/Random House), which will be in bookstores on August 19th.