This week, RnB singer R. Kelly was convicted of racketeering and sex trafficking crimes which should condemn him to spending the rest of his life in prison. This conviction signals a victory for all victims of exploitation and abuse in that it’s a testament to the importance of speaking up, no matter how powerful or seemingly untouchable the predator may appear. But more than that, his conviction is a victory for young men and women of colour, who he specifically targeted, and whose attempts to speak up for many many years were disregarded while society simply accepted the uncomfortable and consistent narrative around his behaviour, even from the earliest days of his career.
What’s the point of an internal blog on this external case? It’s a given that as an organisation we stand against exploitation, right? Obviously we want to address misconduct and hold people to account. Absolutely we want an inclusive culture where any concerns that are raised about conduct are taken seriously, regardless of who raises them. Do we need to say it? Yes. Because belief and good intention must be followed up by action – speaking up, learning from mistakes, and communicating explicitly about what we know is not ok.
That’s why I’m really proud to hear this morning that we are onboard with the #MuteRKelly movement and from now on, we will not feature his music as part of our onboard experience – whether that be within our shows, on our dancefloors, or on our karaoke playlists.
While there is plenty of scepticism out there about the value of a ‘cancel culture’ which by some is seen to promote censorship and compromise free speech, I think it’s really important as a company that we take bold, demonstrable action to role model our beliefs. Because not acting against something is accepting it. And accepting it is supporting it.
As part of National Inclusion Week, watch this video about finding the courage to Speak Up against ignorance and injustice.