Jesse Williams: A Biracial Man Standing In The Light Of Black
Who watched the BET Awards this past Sunday? I did not but I saw the highlights which included Grey's Anatomy cast member, Jesse Williams, accepting the 2016 BET Humanitarian Award. So before I briefly comment, take a listen to his speech from Sunday evening.
For those of you who cannot listen, you can read the highlights below.
“It’s kind of basic mathematics - the more we learn about who we are and how we got here, the more we will mobilize.”
“Now, this is also in particular for the black women in particular who have spent their lifetimes dedicated to nurturing everyone before themselves. We can and will do better for you.”
“Now, what we’ve been doing is looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to deescalate, disarm and not kill white people everyday. So what’s going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country or we will restructure their function and ours.”
“Now the thing is, though, all of us in here getting money - that alone isn’t gonna stop this. Alright, now dedicating our lives, dedicating our lives to getting money just to give it right back for someone’s brand on our body when we spent centuries praying with brands on our bodies, and now we pray to get paid for brands on our bodies.”
“And let’s get a couple things straight, just a little sidenote: the burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. That’s not our job, alright; stop with all that. If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression. If you have no interest—if you have no interest in equal rights for black people, then do not make suggestions to those who do. Sit down.”
“We’ve been floating this country on credit for centuries, yo, and we’re done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil - black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. The thing is though... the thing is that just because we’re magic doesn’t mean we’re not real.”
That acceptance speech was amazing, wasn't it? Let me tell you readers why I think this is so great. Here is Jesse Williams, a biracial man with his whole white mummy (mother) and whole black daddy (father) watching him stand up for racial injustice. Williams, who is fair skin, has green eyes and a face of European-esque features has a look that makes it easier for him to get through life in the United States. Instead, he speaks of 21st century slavery, proudly speaks about black magic and even boldly states a possible restructure of the nation's defense system if things do not change. Many, who look like Williams would run with the privilege his looks provide him but he stands on a public platform as a voice for the struggles his father's side faces in today's age. For that, Jesse Williams, you are a great man.