CHICAGO – The fallout from “Surviving R. Kelly” was immediate and the backlash unmistakable. In the wake of the six-hour Lifetime documentary series, the aftershocks keep coming.
Millions of people tuned in to the marathon viewing experience that tracked decades of abuse allegations against the “Pied Piper of R&B.”
Now, a new generation is grappling with Kelly’s legacy for the first time, and alleged victims and their parents who were interviewed in the documentary tell the Tribune about their ongoing quest for justice. Chicagoans, along with outsiders keeping an eye on how the city reacts to its fallen hometown star, are waiting to see if this time fans renounce Kelly for good.
There are still supporters of Kelly – cars pulled up at a recent rally blasting Kelly’s music and Erykah Badu sent up a “prayer” for the artist at a Chicago concert – but many who have watched Kelly’s saga unfold say this moment isn’t like previous tides.
“The difference is that if you now support R. Kelly, you can’t do so ignorantly, and you can’t do so naively,” said Salamishah Tillet, a co-founder of A Long Walk Home, a Chicago nonprofit that helped with counseling services on the Lifetime series and is focused on using art to end violence against women and girls. “It’s almost like this box has been opened up, and there’s just more and more people who are finding their voice in this collective.”