June 26, 2016 marked the long-anticipated BET (Black Entertainment Television) awards show. A night filled with the biggest names in the entertainment business, the BET awards are a celebration of Black Excellence and an acknowledgement of the accomplishments of African Americans in film, music and more. Though the awards show never fails to include breathtaking and powerful performances (i.e. Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar’s fire clad performance that was literally “lit”), this year was a little different thanks to actor Jesse Williams. To put it shortly, along with his role as the dreamy Dr. Avery on the TV show "Grey’s Anatomy," Williams has taken on the role of self-proclaimed social activist. From traveling to Ferguson amidst the continuous turmoil, to sitting on the board of directors of The Advancement Project and Question Bridge: Black Males, Williams has dedicated his spare time off the "Grey’s Anatomy" set to the betterment of humankind through knowledge, collaboration and love.
As the recently trending Facebook videos and millions of news articles have shown, Williams’ speech was extremely powerful. It was simple, provocative, respectful, to the point and ultimately stated that Black and Brown bodies are no longer going to sit down and stand by as we are mutilated and mistreated as our enslaved ancestors were. Though many stars such as the previously mentioned Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and even Janelle Monae have begun to speak out on the plight of the Black/Brown body in America, no individual (that I know of at least) has spoken out in the way Jesse has since the days of activists such as Muhammad Ali and Michael Jackson. Not to mention, he is one of the most politically aware and educated activists the Black community has seen in awhile as well.
Obviously, young adults and the activists of the present and past have done more than their fair share of protesting, sit-in participation and other civically disobedient activities, very few have been as clear, intentional and inspirational as Williams. Mind you, this statement is not to discredit those who have done and continue to do this difficult work; without every willing mind, body, spirit and life dedicated themselves to social justice, we would be 100 steps behind where we stand as a community today (thank you).
Due to its mesmerizing nature, I swear that when I watched the speech in action, I couldn’t take my eyes off of Jesse (obviously, he’s quite a looker, but it was deeper than that). It was almost like he was speaking into my soul as a fellow Black body navigating this world, struggling to simply be. It sounds cheesy, but William’s words made me and a million other Black individuals feel seen and acknowledged by a fellow bodied-brother who is also tired, unwilling to rest and ready to take back our freedom now. Honestly, I could go on all day about how amazing this speech was, but I’ll stop now before I rant for another 1,000 words.
This article is simply meant to praise and thank Williams and take a minute to recognize his work as a member of my community. There are many reasons why I’m proud to be Black and this is another I’m adding to the list; we’re brave, we’re demanding the autonomy we deserve and we’re overall pretty freaking bomb if I do say so myself. So, thank you, Jesse for speaking the truth and for opening a new door of rhetorical protest for others to step into.
In solitude.
To get the full picture, you can read the full speech here.
