Activists in North Carolina are threatening to protest an upcoming R. Kelly concert over the singer’s alleged sexual misconduct if it isn’t canceled.
The protests in Greensboro are a result of the #MuteRKelly social media movement to stop his music from being played.
The director of reproductive and maternal health at the YWCA in Greensboro, Brandi Collins-Calhoun, sent a letter to the Greensboro Coliseum saying that if the show isn’t cancelled, she and other community leaders would show up and protest.
We join the call to #MuteRKelly and insist on the safety + dignity of all women. We demand investigations into R. Kelly’s abuse allegations made by women of color + their families for two decades. We call on those who profit from his music to cut ties. #MuteRKelly #TIMESUP #WOC pic.twitter.com/TYmDRVIH00
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 30, 2018
Collins-Calhoun said in that letter, “The Greensboro Coliseum choosing to host a repeat offender condones the continuous abuse and harm that he has done to African American women and girls, and encourages rape culture. The coliseum has neglected to consider the Black women and girls that largely makes up the community that relies on them for community engagement and entertainment.”
R Kelly has had allegations of sexual abusive and inappropriate behavior dating back two decades. allegations recently resurfaced when even more women came forward.
Lizzette Martinez, then 17, said her relationship with the rapper began then and he knew she was underage when he took her virginity. The relationship continued for four years despite abuse and forced sexual experiences.
The parents of one of Kelly’s victims said it was a “cult.”