This and That: An Open Letter to Robert Kelly

This and That seizes the opportunity to turn the house lights on the spectacle of show that is pop cancel culture to dare to look backstage at the varied components involved in the production of abuse. Using the highly publicized R. Kelly case, and written as graphic personal letters to Robert Kelly, the author provides a gripping critical analysis of the insidious culture of sexual abuse, through cultural elements of celebrity, law, religion, community, family, and mental health.

The book-length collection of letters is made personal by its creative incorporations of first-hand experiences told through the writer's lens which is shaped by study and work in the fields of African American Studies, trauma, education, pop culture, creative production, and identity construction. This book attempts to serve as both a cautionary tale and a building tool that implores the concept of Sankofa as it looks at and goes back through the past in earnest effort to help lay a foundation that can support the fullness of a more healthy and whole future for all.

Kim L. Dulaney lives in Chicago, Illinois. Her writings which include children's books, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have been noted on ABC, CBS, MTV and various other news programs, as well as in numerous magazines and newspapers, including Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Essence, The Undefeated, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and USA Today. Dr. Dulaney has a BA in African American Studies, an MFA in Creative Writing, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Curriculum Foundation. Her foci are in the areas of Black creative production and popular culture, Black education, and identity construction. She recently retired from her position as Professor and Coordinator of African American Studies at Chicago State University. She currently works as a cultural critic, and as Vice President of Education and Programs at DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago. Literary work-in-progress: Beliefs, Black Boys, and Urban Education: An Interpretive Biography of Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.