me too. International Issues Statement on R. Kelly Verdict

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 27, 2021
Contact: metoo@berlinrosen.com

me too. International Issues Statement on R. Kelly Verdict 

ATLANTA – Tarana Burke and Dani Ayers – ED and CEO of me too. International, respectively – issued the following statement on the R. Kelly’s verdict: 

Today’s verdict is monumental because Black women and Black children were believed. A predator preyed on them for years and got away with it because our society is quick to minimize our suffering and abuse. Not today. Today, a legal system that has historically dismissed, diminished and detained us provided a small victory. This moment belongs to the countless Black women who refused to suffer in silence and the allies who didn’t wait for a trial to pursue accountability and justice.

Black women and children have been marginalized and subjugated for far too long, and this trial finally put their stories front and center. But this moment is bigger than R. Kelly. Black survivors deserve to be heard and supported, regardless of how much power and influence their harm doer holds. We cannot disrupt rape culture and end sexual violence until we are willing to confront the reality that this happens far too often without due response.

We are holding a special place in our hearts for all of the survivors who came forward, as well as those who are still holding their truths close. me too. International will continue to shine a light on the pervasiveness of sexual violence and elevate the voices of Black survivors. This is the only way to begin to heal and fix the broken systems that ignore and normalize abuse.