I agree. However, if there are no (flawed) beginnings then there is no progression at all. Shay On Fri, Jun 27, 2008 at 6:10 PM, Emanuela Bianchi <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > While in some ways I indeed find this fabulous in its critical > sensibility, I am also wary of the aggressive moralism of the "family > values" discourse it promotes. I am not at all sure that "families need > fathers" nor that the 'way forward' for black masculinity lies in any > necessary way in being a father to children. > > Just my 2 (white, queer, feminist) cents. > > Emma > > > -- > Emanuela Bianchi > Visiting Assistant Professor > Department of Philosophy > Haverford College > > > ----- Original message ----- > From: "Sarah Hoagland" <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:29:06 -0500 > Subject: FW: This is Fabulous... > > ------ 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 >