UltraViolet on R. Kelly Being Found Guilty on All Counts; Group Celebrates Black Women Who Demanded Accountability for His Abuse of Women and Girls for Decades
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, September 27, 2021
CONTACT: Brett Abrams | brett@unbendablemedia.com
UltraViolet on R. Kelly Being Found Guilty on All Counts; Group Celebrates Black Women Who Demanded Accountability for His Abuse of Women and Girls for Decades
NEW YORK — This afternoon, R. Kelly was found guilty on all nine counts of racketeering and sex trafficking of girls.
In reaction to the convictions, Elisa Batista, campaign director of UltraViolet, a leading national gender-justice organization that has long called for accountability of R. Kelly for decades-long abuse of Black women and girls, issued the following statement:
“We are beyond grateful that the criminal justice system has validated what Black survivors have been telling us for decades: R. Kelly is a serial sexual predator and abuser who used his position of power and fame to exploit young women and girls.
This victory belongs to the brave survivors who came forward publicly to tell their stories, as well as to those abused by Kelly who could not come forward. This victory belongs to the brave Black women, and specifically the filmmaker dream hampton, who fought for decades to make sure everyone knew the person R. Kelly really was.
“When we stand together, accountability is achievable.”
Following Spotify’s decision to remove R. Kelly and other infamous abusers from its official playlists, UltraViolet penned an open letter to Spotify CEO applauding the company’s decision, but urging the company to take a deeper look at other artists with a history of sexual and physical abuse that continued to profit from Spotify’s promotion. Ultimately, Spotify reversed its decision to hold abusers accountable and added R. Kelly back to official Spotify-promoted playlists. In 2019, tens of thousands of people signed onto UltraViolet’s petition, echoing the calls of the #MuteRKelly and the #TimesUp movements, urging RCA Records to drop R. Kelly. UltraViolet commissioned a plane banner to fly over Sony Music’s headquarters in Los Angeles, urging RCA Records to sever ties with R. Kelly. UltraViolet also took part in the “#MuteRKelly Rally to Protect Black Girls” at Sony Music headquarters in New York City in 2019.
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