Actor Jesse Williams Addresses Racism In BET Awards Speech
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Actor Jesse Williams won the Humanitarian Award at last night's BET Awards but the Temple Alum's win isn't what got people talking on social media. Rather, it was the acceptance speech he gave after.
"This award... this is not for me. This is for the real organizers all over the country -- the activists the civil rights attorneys, the struggling parents, the families, the teachers of students, that are realizing that a system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do," Williams said after thanking his parents and wife in the audience.
Williams plays Dr. Jackson Avery on Grey's Anatomy but was a teacher in Philadelphia before becoming beginning his professional career as an actor. He's also an activist and was the executive producer of a "Black Lives Matter" documentary called "Stay Woke" released last month.
"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," said Williams. So what's going to happen is we're going to have equal rights and justice in our own country or we will restructure their function in ours."
He then went on to cite officer-involved shooting deaths that have happened in recent years including Tamir Rice, Eric Garner, Darrien Hunt.
"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."
Williams is also a board member of Advanced Project, a national civil rights organization. According to their Twitter profile they support inspiring and supporting national and local movements toward a just democracy. They applauded Williams' speech on Twitter.
Williams also got a shout out on Instagram from his alma mater's alumni account.
Celebrities including Orange is the New Black actress, Uzo Aduba and The Roots' Questlove Gomez also commended Williams -- as well as Justin Timberlake who received criticism for his tweet of support.
Timberlake later tweeted an apology.
Williams concluded his speech saying, "If you have no interest in equal rights for black people then do not make suggestions to those who do... sit down."
