Adeola Adeyemo
If anyone had taken sides with R. Kelly in the midst of the sexual misconduct and abuse allegations that had plagued him for over two decades, they would have jumped ship as soon as the Surviving R. Kelly documentary aired in January. The six-part documentary on Lifetime served the purpose it was intended for – presented wrenching testimonies from women who accuse the singer of abuse in such a manner that anyone who could do something about serving justice took a closer look at the allegations.
“As the women told their stories, I could hear in the back of my head a prosecutor building a case because each of them was adding something that could be material for prosecution,” E.R. Shipp, a journalist and columnist said about the documentary. The journalist-scholar who happens to be the first black woman to receive the Pulitzer in the category of commentary is a firm believer that the media should be a tool for driving truth and justice.
“Our job is to pursue the truth and there’s a long history of media engaging in crusades on a variety of topics, so this is no different from that,” she continued. “We are now in this era we call the #MeToo time. In the back of our head depending on what the story is, we are hoping that this would end up with some justice coming from the story. There’s nothing wrong with pursuing truth and letting the chips fall where they may.”
And the chips are falling in favor of the women who sought justice by sharing their experiences. Not only did the documentary spur a wave of legal actions against the singer, more people have come forward with claims of inappropriate conduct. In February, a Cook County, Illinois judge approved an arrest warrant for Kelly, charging him with ten counts of felony aggravated criminal sex abuse. Singers such as Lady Gaga and Chance the Rapper who have collaborated with him in the past have issued statements apologizing for their involvement with him and pulled their music from streaming platforms. Recently, a video of Kelly allegedly engaging in a sexual act with a minor surfaced. The video was uncovered by attorney Michael Avenatti, whose firm is representing a former associate of Kelly. Multiple reports also say that his longtime record label Sony Music has dissolved the recording contract with the singer.
It’s hard to exaggerate the impact Surviving R. Kelly had in bringing to the fore a case that had been buried for too long. The singer was acquitted of a similar child abuse allegation in 2008. Even though Kelly maintains his innocence and said as much during his interview with Gayle King which aired on CBS March 6, it is obvious now that the media has set in motion a trajectory to this case that cannot be easily stopped.
“I think media helped to put pressure on the prosecutors to do something,” Shipp said. “That documentary was out there saying ‘OK law enforcement, what are you gonna do? We just laid this thing out for you.’ These women are obviously willing to talk now and now the media are helping to build the case by encouraging people to come forward with more stories and more documentation.”
R.Kelly might have survived the child pornography trial over a decade ago, but he just might not survive the impacts of Surviving R.Kelly.
Photo Credit: M. Spencer Green/AP
