(ThyBlackMan.com) When provided the benefit of hindsight, so many things become absurdly ironic. One of the most ironic items is my beloved mother’s constant refrain that there were some crimes that Black people did not commit; it actually became a running joke between us. When a crime was reported on a news station, my mother would shout from the kitchen that it was either a “Black crime” or a “White crime.” Indicative of the time that she was reared and the community that served as a protective shield, my mother believed that there were some crimes beneath Black people.
In time, I realized that my mother refused to believe that Black people committed sexual crimes beyond rape. It amazed me that my mother did not believe that sexual abuse of children was rampant in the Black community that she adored.
It was not until Alice Walker’s The Color Purple debuted on the big screen and Seely was offered up in marriage to Mr. Johnson with the caveat of “she done been spoiled twice” that my mother retreated from her naïve belief.
Presently, I doubt that there is anyone who believes sexual crimes are a rarity within Black America. Trust me when I say that although Lifetime’s airing of Surviving R. Kelly has placed this issue at the forefront of Black America’s mind, we all know that assaults on Black children — females, as well as males — is an everyday occurrence. Shamefully, such crime matters little, if at all, to significant segments of the community. Prior to putting pen to paper, I decided that there is little that I can write that would further illuminate this centuries old bruise on the soul of Black America; however, that realization led me to an understanding that there is much that needs to be said regarding the reaction of some Black women to R. Kelly’s crimes against black girls.
As with so many other battles Black women have once again proven that they do not hold the same viewpoint regarding substantive matters. On one side of this raging debate are Black women who have taken a position of righteous indignation that there are neither circumstances nor catalysts that make R. Kelly’s perversion acceptable. Unfortunately for Black womanhood, there has always been a segment of Black women who are enraged at the denigration of R. Kelly’s image in the public arena. Instead of holding the famed singer to task these “sisters” have chosen to distribute responsibility to the children and parents who allowed the alluded to issues to occur on their watch.
R. Kelly’s defenders have gone to extreme lengths to defend “the pied-piper of rhythm and blues” since allegations regarding his well-documented association with middle-school and high school girls. Instead of holding R. Kelly responsible for his actions, supporters have blamed his victims for being “too fast.” Regardless of the excuses, none of them hide the shameful reality that there is a segment of Black women who lack a compulsion to protect young Black girls. Where many see developing young black girls who should be mentored, protected, and ushered into womanhood, the alluded to segment of Black women consider them emerging rivals in a battle royal for immoral Black men.
The deplorable attitudes and viewpoints of many Black women verifies Malcolm X’s assertion that “the Black woman is the most disrespected person on the planet” in a most-unexpected manner. Considering the history of racial conflict that has ruled this nation since it’s founding, it was a given that there was a population of bigoted Whites who desired to vanquish Blacks from Earth.
Never did we suspect that our community was filled with so many Black women whose views of young Black females is akin to Dave Chappelle’s epic character Clayton Bigsby, the Black, white supremacist. Just as Clayton Bigsby jumped at every opportunity to explain why Blacks were unfit for living, many Black females are chomping at the bit to denigrate teenage Black girls to the point that they deny the undeniable reality that they are merely children filled with raging hormones and limited foresight of the road ahead. Instead of viewing them in this light, there is a segment of shameless Black women who view these children as developing temptresses endowed with the ability to rob them of their “man.”
If nothing else, discussions surrounding R. Kelly prove that it is difficult to be born Black in America and possess a love for Black folk. Those whose intellectual diet is provided by a society that loathes Black America do not stand a chance at becoming “credits to the Race” as their minds have been infected with a white-mindedness that is darn near impossible to reverse.
If we were able to access the mental processes of those blaming teenaged girls for R. Kelly’s actions, I am confident that we would be shocked to learn that their thoughts pivot around a question of “why not destroy these girls. What do they have to offer the world?” It is such thoughts, a by-product of poor socialization and even worse education, which retards their development and therefore our collective liberation.
I guess that for many R. Kelly supporters, “Age ain’t nothing but a number.”
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.