The #MuteRKelly movement scored a major victory earlier this month when Sony Music ended its relationship with the singer. The women behind that campaign now join forces with UltraViolet, Girls for Gender Equity, Black Women’s Blueprint and other anti-sexist and anti-racist groups to push the company to stop enabling other alleged abusers on its roster.
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BREAKING: Two weeks after Sony Music dropped R. Kelly, we’ve joined @OffMuteRKelly, @ColorOfChange, and many more to urge Sony to cut ties with all abusers and implement gender-based violence prevention policies.
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rnttRead the open letter here: https://t.co/slFYFIhjRI #MuteRKelly pic.twitter.com/zeWNQjUtzErnt— UltraViolet (@UltraViolet) January 30, 2019
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rntThe groups issued an open letter to Sony Music demanding the implementation of zero-tolerance policies for sexual assault and harassment, staff training in preventative strategies and the removal of "any artist with an allegation of sexual or domestic violence against them." The advisory specifically names Chris Brown, Nick Carter and other Sony-affiliated artists who have admitted to or are accused of violence toward girls and women. It also recommends that Sony leadership "commit the millions of dollars you made from R. Kelly’s last album to organizations that serve Black and Brown survivors of sexual violence and abuse."
"As we exist in the space of holding powerful offenders accountable for sexually predatory behavior, it is our hope that Sony follows the same decision, made to discontinue a relationship with R Kelly, and extend this among other problematic artists," #MuteRKelly co-founder Kenyette Tisha Barnes says in an emailed statement accompanying the letter. “For years, the culture of the entertainment industry, has served as an incubator for sexually predatory behavior, and it’s time those who are instrumental in maintaining the requisite capital for these entertainers to buy themselves out of accountability, are no longer complicit—yet part of the solution."
Read the open letter here.