Well, perhaps a leopard can change its spots after all.
Chris Brown and his team are on a tear, trying to recast the controversial R&B star as a really nice guy. (Hint: Maybe get him to remove a few of his many tattoos)
They've even decided to come at the domestic violence angle indirectly by having him volunteer at the Jenessee Center, a domestic violence shelter for women and their children.
He recently let Extra TV film his activities and the center and he spoke on camera about his motivations for working with the Jenessee Center.
Watch Chris Brown talk about his work with the organization below
Kudos to Chris for getting involved, first and foremost. He actually appears to be further along in his outreach to domestic violence victims than Rihanna, his ex-girlfriend who was actually the victim in their case.
But there are problems with this whole campaign.
First off, Chris identifies with the work at the Jenessee in a very specific and narrow way. Basically, the way he explains it, he feels a connection to the center's mission because he witnessed DV as a child when his stepfather used to put his hands on Chris' mother, Joyce Hawkins.
Never do we hear Chris say, "I'm doing this work to repent for that one time when I became the monster that I grew up fearing the most." Or some other proclamation that as a one-time abuser, working with these kids up close helps him to see the kind of trauma and damage domestic violence can have on an entire family.
We're looking for words that indicate responsibility, accountability on some kind of level.
It's as if Chris is only comfortable with talking about the connection between domestic violence and his life as long as its cast as something way, way back in his past.
Which is a shame, because honest and open dialogue about the factors that led to Chris falling into the role of abuser after witnessing his own mother being abused could be an eye-opening experience for all.
Until then, there'll always be a hollowness to these goodwill efforts on his part.
