Surviving R. Kelly is a six-part documentary that aired January 3, 2019 to January 5, 2019 on Lifetime television network, featuring firsthand accounts from numerous women accusing the R&B singer of abuse, as well as criticism from notable figures, such as the founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, and singer, John Legend.
The six-episode special highlighted the allegations against Kelly and the accounts of women who claim to have been controlled or abused by him, most of whom were teenagers at the time. Associates and relatives of the singer were also interviewed. The reactions to the television special have been mixed, with some people questioning the credibility of the survivors' stories and maintaining their support of R. Kelly, while others were outraged and appalled by all of the information that came to light as a result of last week's documentary.
I have read numerous articles since the airing of Surviving and writers have not withheld any criticism when it comes to the R&B crooner. One article even went as far as to deem R. Kelly the "black Donald Trump," due to the underdeveloped reading capabilities of both men, both having racked up countless allegations of sexual misconduct, and both men having been caught on tape being extremely lewd and inappropriate.
The article went on to point out how asking where a Surviving Harvey Weinstein or Surviving *insert other white male celebrity* is a derailment from what really matters, which is that just because the justice system has historically worked against black people, does not mean that one cannot be both black and guilty of the crimes they are accused of. This is an important point for me because everyone deserves to be held accountable for their actions. One's allegiance to their race should not override the fight for justice owed to wronged individuals.
According to a recent article from The Guardian, R. Kelly's 2012 memoir Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me saw the singer recount being sexually abused as a child by an older woman for years. This would provide a pathological explanation for R. Kelly growing up to become a predator himself and exhibiting the same behavior that was used on him as a child, however it does not and should not absolve him from facing the consequences of his actions for the past 25 years. The article also went on to explain how Kelly gleaned inspiration from the abortion of survivor Lizzette Martinez to write Michael Jackson's hit song "You Are Not Alone."
His former assistant, Demetrius Smith, also divulged knowledge of marriage documents between R. Kelly, 27 at the time, and singer Aaliyah, 15 at the time, being forced to list her age as 18. However, despite all of R. Kelly's demons and destruction being public knowledge, he has still managed to largely maintain his innocence and avoid the consequences of his decade's old patterns and actions. One visible benefit of the Surviving R. Kelly television special is that black and brown women who have lacked opportunities in the past have finally been given a mainstream platform to tell their stories and provide a voice for the numerous victims, seen and unseen, of Robert Kelly.
As previously mentioned, one of the figures shown in Surviving was the founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke. #MeToo was founded in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence, specifically black women and girls, and other young women of color from low-income communities begin the journey to healing.
The goals of the #MeToo movement have been to increase the reservoir of resources for survivors of sexual violence, create a community of advocates, and broaden the conversation surrounding sexual violence to also include queer, trans, and disabled individuals. With the showing of the documentary Surviving R. Kelly, Kelly's victims, mostly comprising of black women and women of color across the country, can now feel that they also have been heard and seen when they exclaim with all their strength: "Me Too."
