In November 2000, after receiving an anonymous fax alleging that singer R. Kelly had a “problem with young girls,” journalist Jim DeRogatis broke a shocking story wide open by publishing allegations that the R&B superstar had groomed girls, sexually abused them, and paid them off. DeRogatis thought his investigative journalism would have an impact; instead, Kelly’s career flourished. But now, close to twenty years later, people are finally paying attention. The New York Times calls DeRogatis “the reporter who never gave up,” in recognition of his tireless coverage of the story, work which continues today through in-depth interviews with a number of key figures who have never spoken publicly before. #MuteRKelly co-founders Kenyette Barnes and Oronike Odeleye and award-winning writer Kyra Kyles join DeRogatis in conversation.

This program was recorded on June 13, 2019.


See upcoming CHF events: https://chicagohumanities.org

Support CHF with a donation: supportchf.org

Follow CHF on Twitter: http://twitter.com/chihumanities

Like CHF on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chicagohumanities

Help us caption & translate this video!

https://amara.org/v/paT9/