Photo: (Getty)
If you've enjoyed Kelly Rowland perform at the Super Bowl with Destiny's Child and strut her stuff at the 55th Grammy Awards, you're in for a treat because she's going no where. With an album on the way, Kelly will participate in a PSA this spring for the YELL Confidence Initiative, a campaign working against domestic violence and dating abuse.
The YELL Confidence Initiative is being put on by Saving Our Daughters, the same group behind the Bratz Doll Drive that Nas told us about. There's going to be a series of PSAs with strong celebrity women like Kelly who want their fans to know that abuse is never okay. MTV has hooked up with the One Billion Rising movement for the same reason. One in three women will be physically or sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and Kelly is here to say "oh-hell-no." We spoke to Kelly, who also founded her own female-empowerment group called I Heart My Girlfriends, for more deets.
ACT: Why was it important to you to get involved with Saving Our Daughters' YELL Campaign against domestic violence?
KELLY: I became involved with Saving Our Daughters a few years back when I was featured in the book [Saving Our Daughters' "A Compilation of Women Thoughts: Volume 6"]. It was an amazing opportunity to speak to young women. It reminds me of the reason I started I Heart My Girlfriends; I wanted to use my voice to help save young girls. This domestic violence thing has gotten so out of control. As I travel around the world for IHMG, I meet so many young girls who openly admit to being abused and they are so young...my heart breaks. We have to take a stand against this and let young girls know that this is wrong and try to break some of the silence about domestic violence.
ACT: How can people get involved with the YELL Campaign?
KELLY: Because social media is so popular with young people and celebrities, we often use it to communicate with the masses. We are using Facebook and Twitter to move this message about domestic violence. So check out the Facebook page and our Twitter pages, 'like' the page and leave comments for us, and spread the word.
ACT: Can you tell us a bit about the PSA you shot?
KELLY: I am so happy to be working with Derek [Blanks, the photographer]. He and I have always had amazing chemistry when we work together and it's because we both have a heart for people. We want to leave a significant impact on the world and YELL Confidence is one avenue to do that.
I hope that when you see the PSA, you see the genuineness of Derek and I. We are both so serious about this and I hope that is evident in the video. I hope that people share it and leave comments. This is the only way to make this a movement and not just a celebrity video.
ACT: MTV has partnered up with One Billion Rising, a worldwide campaign to stop violence against women. How can we follow the lead of the One Billion Rising movement and the YELL Campaign to stop violence against women? What can we do day-by-day as individuals?
KELLY: I am very excited about One Billion Rising and MTV, seeing the power that they have to influence so many people. Social media is HUGE, so that's a great way to spread the message. When entertainment powerhouses like MTV join the movement to support women...the message just continues to grow. If we can save one woman a day, then we have helped. But it's going to take everyone, everyday working and exposing the truth about violence against women. We have to be open, have the tough conversations and make women feel safe enough to be truthful and open up. This is the only way to get this under control. As friends, we have to listen to each other, pay attention and be honest when we see unhealthy behavior. This is the day-to-day commitment we have to make to each other.
