R&B singer R. Kelly was found guilty in federal court on Monday and the co-founder of the #MuteRKelly movement says the government “got it right this time,” but points out other cases in which it did not.  

PREVIOUS: R. Kelly Found Guilty in Federal Sex Trafficking Trial 

After more than one month in court, testimony from 11 accusers and dozens of former employees and about nine hours of deliberating, a jury found Kelly guilty of racketeering and violating the Mann Act.  

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Kenyette Tisha Barnes, a political strategist and lobbyist, is the co-founder of the movement, which was credited for shining a spotlight on Kelly’s history of abuse.  

“The government got it right this time,” she said. “As we recall in 2008, we saw ourselves waiting for a verdict once again and that did not turn out the way we wanted [it] to. And he actually continued with more predatory behavior and now I think that this has now become his legacy.”  

The verdict in this case also comes as a moment for Black women who have been calling out Kelly’s allegations for decades. Barnes said there is a problem in the United States with convicting people who abuse Black women and girls. “This definitely does bring the sexual victimization of Black women and girls onto a federal stage,” she said. “Powerful men have always been protected by the power of patriarchy and toxic masculinity to do the things that R. Kelly has been doing for 30 years.”  

Barnes has been speaking out about the singer for decades and she said survivors and journalists have come together for years to stand against the singer, despite public backlash and receiving death threats.  

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Several of Kelly’s family members, including his brother Carey Kelly and his godson DeAngelo Brister, alleged the accusers in the case were lying. Barnes reacted to that mindset saying Black women and girls often aren’t believed when they come forward with allegations. “Black women who are victims of sexual violence are just not believed,” she said. “There are all of these nefarious things that are assigned to their behavior.”  

Barnes also said the music industry is complicit because they knew about Kelly’s behavior. “It is difficult to find a performer or producer that worked in the 90s or 2000s who did not know about R. Kelly’s behavior, but once again, these were Black girls. No one cared. And that was the problem,” she said.  

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Although the verdict in the case was guilty, the fight to mute the singer will not end. Barnes and the movement are working with radio stations and streaming platforms to stop the growth of the singer’s music. 

Citing the issue of sexual violence against women and girls in the Black community, Barnes thinks continuing Kelly music shows support of sexual violence. “We have a sexual violence problem in the Black community, and that means that there are a lot of enablers and a lot of predators,” she said. “So when I hear his music playing, when I hear people speaking up in support of R. Kelly, what I hear is that they’re speaking up in support of the status quo that allowed the sexual cannibalism that occurs in our community.”  

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