By Rev. Dr. Charmayne Davis, 11th Episcopal District
While watching the docu-series,Surviving R. Kelly, a flood of emotions washed over me as survivors recounted horror stories of manipulation, exploitation, and sexual violence as teenage girls. Unfortunately, I was not shocked by their painful truths. For years, I have spoken against the sexual abuse of women in the church. Violence and rage against black female bodies is nothing new. In fact, this country was built on violence against black women and girls. During slavery, black female bodies were bought, sold, and forced to serve at the master’s pleasure.
This evil is ever-present today. Each year, hundreds of vulnerable young girls with dreams of stardom fall prey to the savagery of power and control. R. Kelly is a pedophile who has been allowed to continue his reign of pornographic brutality and terror for decades. No one cares because his victims are underage black girls.
Black girls have always been expendable and disposable. The #MeToo movement may have made it more acceptable for sexual abuse survivors to speak out. However, in the black community discussing sexual violence remains taboo.
A Georgetown University study entitled, “Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood,” concludes that “black girls in the United States are perceived by adults as much less innocent than white girls. Black girls are adultified, sexualized and deemed overly aggressive from a young age. They are often referred to as fast and womanist (both terms synonymous with promiscuity).”
Child abuse is never conducted in a vacuum. There are always those who see and claim blindness and those who know and claim ignorance. Kelly’s financial ability to line the pockets of staff and family members, all the while continuing to produce chart-topping music to the delight of recording industry executives are all reasons why he has successfully avoided criminal prosecution.
Fans continue to support him even though he has settled numerous lawsuits with victims. He falsified legal documents and married Aaliyah when she was only 15. These are not affairs nor are they the sins of consenting adults fornicating. Kelly is a rapist, molester, and child pornographer. He uses power, money, and fame to brutalize and destroy the lives of young girls. His mental manipulation and control over his victims is classic predatory behavior. Separating victims from family and friends and forcing them to become totally dependent upon him is characteristic of victim grooming.
There are many individuals who serve as co-conspirators and are equally guilty in Kelly’s crimes. The exploitation of black females in music videos and song lyrics continue to reinforce patriarchal views and misogynistic practices. The degrading of females will never end until we change the way we treat and value them as a society.
The Black Church has always been the strongest institution in the African American community. The civil rights movement was birthed in the Black Church. However, through all the marching and protesting, black women and girls were left behind. What will we say and do about R. Kelly and all the R. Kelly’s in our pulpits, pews, schools, and at our dinner tables?
It is the responsibility of the church to take a strong stance against sexual violence in our communities. We preach and teach about love and compassion; but when faced with sexual abuse, we turn a blind eye, a deaf ear, and feign ignorance. How then can the Black Church speak against the evils of the world when it remains silent on the critical issue of the violation and defilement of its women and girls?
In order for our churches to “do justice” against sexual violence, they must become sacred places of trust where allegations are taken seriously and investigated. Misogyny and gender violence must be proactively addressed from the pulpit and healthy boundary training must become mandatory. Only then can the Black Church truly become the place of healing and restoration answering God’s call to “do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.”
