Thanks for passing this on, Sarah. 



On Jun 27 2008, Sarah Hoagland wrote:

>------ Forwarded Message
>From: Jackie Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:17:18 -0700 (PDT)
>Subject: This is Fabulous...
>
>
>Statement of Black Men Against
>the Exploitation of Black Women
>
>From Aaron Lloyd •  Adisa Banjoko •  Alford Young, Jr. • Byron Hurt •
>Cheo Tyehimba • Davey D. • Dion Chavis • James Peterson • Kevin Powell
>• Kevin Williams • Lasana Hotep • Loren S. Harris • Lumumba
>Akinwole-Bandele • Mo Beasley, Jr. • Saddi Khali • Shaun Neblett •
>Steven G. Fullwood • Thabiti Boone • William Jelani Cobb *
>
>Six years have gone by since we first heard the allegations that R.
>Kelly had filmed himself having sex with an underage girl. During that
>time we have seen the videotape being hawked on street corners in Black
>communities, as if the dehumanization of one of our own was not at
>stake. We have seen entertainers rally around him and watched his
>career reach new heights despite the grave possibility that he had
>molested and urinated on a 13-year old girl. We saw African Americans
>purchase millions of his records despite the long history of such
>charges swirling around the singer. Worst of all, we have witnessed the
>sad vision of Black people cheering his acquittal with a fervor usually
>reserved for community heroes and shaken our heads at the stunning lack
>of outrage over the verdict in the broader Black community.
>
>Over these years, justice has been delayed and it has been denied.
>Perhaps a jury can accept R. Kelly's absurd defense and find
>"reasonable doubt" despite the fact that the film was shot in his home
>and featured a man who was identical to him. Perhaps they doubted that
>the young woman in the courtroom was, in fact, the same person featured
>in the ten year old video. But there is no doubt about this: some young
>Black woman was filmed being degraded and exploited by a much older
>Black man, some daughter of our community was left unprotected, and
>somewhere another Black woman is being molested, abused or raped and
>our callous handling of this case will make it that much more difficult
>for her to come forward and be believed. And each of us is responsible
>for it.
>
>We have proudly seen the community take to the streets in defense of
>Black men who have been the victims of police violence or racist
>attacks, but that righteous outrage only highlights the silence
>surrounding this verdict.
>
>We believe that our judgment has been clouded by celebrity-worship; we
>believe that we are a community in crisis and that our addiction to
>sexism has reached such an extreme that many of us cannot even
>recognize child molestation when we see it.
>
>We recognize the absolute necessity for Black men to speak in a single,
>unified voice and state something that should be absolutely obvious:
>that the women of our community are full human beings, that we cannot
>and will not tolerate the poisonous hatred of women that has already
>damaged our families, relationships and culture.
>
>We believe that our daughters are precious and they deserve our
>protection. We believe that Black men must take responsibility for our
>contributions to this terrible state of affairs and make an effort to
>change our lives and our communities.
>
>This is about more than R. Kelly's claims to innocence. It is about our
>survival as a community. Until we believe that our daughters, sisters,
>mothers, wives and friends are worthy of justice, until we believe that
>rape, domestic violence and the casual sexism that permeates our
>culture are absolutely unacceptable, until we recognize that the first
>priority of any community is the protection of its young, we will
>remain in this tragic dead-end.
>
>We ask that you:
>Sign your name if you are a Black male who supports this statement:
>www.petitiononline.com/rkelly/petition.html
>
>Forward this statement to your entire network and ask other Black males
>to sign as well.
>
>Make a personal pledge to never support R. Kelly again in any form or
>fashion, unless he publicly apologizes for his behavior and gets help
>for his long-standing sexual conduct, in his private life and in his
>music.
>
>Make a commitment in your own life to never to hit, beat, molest, rape,
>or exploit Black females in any way and, if you have, to take ownership
>for your behavior, seek emotional and spiritual help, and, over time,
>become a voice against all forms of Black female exploitation.
>
>Challenge other Black males, no matter their age, class or educational
>background, or status in life, if they engage in behavior and language
>that is exploitative and or disrespectful to Black females in any way.
>If you say nothing, you become just as guilty.
>
>Learn to listen to the voices, concerns, needs, criticisms, and
>challenges of Black females, because they are our equals, and because
>in listening we will learn a new and different kind of Black manhood.
>We support the work of scholars, activists and organizations that are
>helping to redefine Black manhood in healthy ways. Additional resources
>are listed below.
>
>Books:
>Who's Gonna Take the Weight, Kevin Powell
>New Black Man, Mark Anthony Neal
>Deals with the Devil and Other Reasons to Riot, Pearl Cleage
>Traps: African American Men on Gender and Sexuality, Rudolph Byrd and
>Beverly Guy-Sheftall
>Films:
>I Am A Man: Black Masculinity in America by Byron Hurt
>Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes by Byron Hurt
>NO! The Rape Documentary by Aishah Simmons
>Organizations:
>The 2025 Campaign: www.2025bmb.org
>Men Stopping Violence: www.menstoppingviolence.org
> 
>
>* The aforementioned men are contributors to the new anthology BE A
>FATHER TO YOUR CHILD: REAL TALK FROM BLACK MEN ON FAMILY, LOVE, AND
>FATHERHOOD, Edited by April R. Silver. Only the aforementioned are
>signees to the statement issued above.
>
>
>To share YOUR thoughts, find out more about the signees or
>the BE A FATHER book, please visit the official website:
>www.beafathertoyourchild.com
>
>
>
>
>
>------ End of Forwarded Message
>