After six weeks of testimony, Grammy award-winning singer, R. Kelly, was found guilty on Monday of all six changes. But why was almost 30 years of sexual abuse toward Black women and girls overlooked for so long?
After days of deliberation, jurors in the R. Kelly trial have determined his fate and found him guilty of all six charges in a New York federal court earlier on Monday. The R&B singer was found guilty of bribery, forced labor, kidnapping, exploitation of a child, racketeering involving six alleged victims, and sexual trafficking across state lines. The trial was filled with high emotion and graphic and disturbing testimony from Kelly’s accusers. But while making closing arguments last week, the singer’s attorney argued that “kinky sex” is not a crime and compared Kelly to Civil Rights leader and activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Over the weekend, many came forward to criticize Kelly’s defense team for victim-blaming and minimizing the sexual abuse claims that Kelly’s accusers made. While there’s no doubt that this was a contentious trial, many are asking why it took so long for the cries of Black women and girls to be heard about the abuse they endured by Mr. Kelly and the need to start taking the experiences of young Black girls seriously. After six weeks of testimony from former employees, expert witnesses, and accusers — Grammy award-winning singer, R. Kelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly — was found guilty on Monday of six changes. The racketeering charge placed him at the head of a sex ring that used his fame to lure people into becoming potential victims. Kelly,54, plead not guilty to all charges. The prosecution dominated the majority of the trial, which included riveting and emotional testimony from 45 witnesses. Of the 45 witnesses,11 were his accusers – 6 of which were underage when they began having sexual interactions with R. Kelly. Although he has not yet been sentenced, Kelly faces ten years to life.
