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
>