Jesse Williams POWERFUL BET Awards Humanitarian Award Acceptance Speech

[UMTerp01]

This brotha's speech was iconic. I stood up clapping so loud because every single word he said was true. Here's the full transcript.


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Peace peace. Thank you, Debra. Thank you, BET. Thank you Nate Parker, Harry and Debbie Allen for participating in that [video].

Before we get into it, I just want to say I brought my parents out tonight. I just want to thank them for being here, for teaching me to focus on comprehension over career, and that they make sure I learn what the schools were afraid to teach us. And also thank my amazing wife for changing my life.

Now, 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, the students that are realizing that a system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do.

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... I got more y'all - yesterday would have been young Tamir Rice's 14th birthday so I don't want to hear anymore about how far we've come when paid public servants can pull a drive-by on 12 year old playing alone in the park in broad daylight, killing him on television and then going home to make a sandwich. Tell Rekia Boyd how it's so much better than it is to live in 2012 than it is to live in 1612 or 1712. Tell that to Eric Garner. Tell that to Sandra Bland. Tell that to Dorian Hunt.

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.

There has been no war that we have not fought and died on the front lines of. There has been no job we haven't done. There is no tax they haven't leveed against us - and we've paid all of them. But freedom is somehow always conditional here. "You're free," they keep telling us. But she would have been alive if she hadn't acted so... free.

Now, freedom is always coming in the hereafter, but you know what, though, the hereafter is a hustle. We want it now.

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.

Thank you.
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https://twitter.com/elenaisawesome/status/747279771982143488

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My favorite part:

"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."

Exactly!!!!!! We are not here to comfort your ass who sits on the sidelines doing nothing but criticizing Black Lives Matters and not understanding all of what Jesse was talking about. And like Jesse also said....if you do have a criticism then you best have been out there marching and protesting the killing of Black bodies. Otherwise, sit down and STFU with your privileged ass!!!!

[Digital Puppy]

1. I would like to make this required viewing...

...it made me look him and his work up since I really didn't know anything about him. I'm glad I did.

This. Right. Here.

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.

I need to make this my sig on DU....

[Cha]

6. I really didn't know him, either, DP.. his proud parents were in the audience!

[Number23]

2. That brother is amazing. I have loved him forever. But you cannot -- and WILL not -- talk about

Jessie Williams without showing as many pics of that man as is humanly possible. Let me handle that for you right now:







LORD have mercy.

This speech is gold:

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.

Just... sigh.

yesterday would have been young Tamir Rice's 14th birthday so I don't want to hear anymore about how far we've come when paid public servants can pull a drive-by on 12 year old playing alone in the park in broad daylight, killing him on television and then going home to make a sandwich.

...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.

You GO, honey. TELL THEM.

[Digital Puppy]

3. You are killing me, 23!!!

You have me LOL'ing at my screen!!!



'DP (Magic & Real)

[Number23]

4. Maaaan, and I don't typically do the yella boys (though I have dated a couple of yella boys with

green eyes) but my heart belongs to the chocolate brothers. Well, except for my distinctly non chocolate husband, of course.

Jesse is on a whole 'nother level though. He is simply beautiful. And to look like that and be as smart, engaged and politically active as he is is just unreal.

23 -- Magic and Real

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

26. LOL @ "Yella boys"!! LOL!!

[1StrongBlackMan]

20. I know ... She soooo ... er ... animated!

[Cha]

9. Thank you for the fine pics of Jesse Williams, 23.. here's a couple of

pics of his family..


His wife, Aryn Drake-Lee and daughter, Sadie~

http://www.wetpaint.com/who-is-jesse-williamss-wife-799454/


malcolm ‎@yiggityyoung
when you raised a WOKE ass Black child and he get on stage and make you proud.
4:26 PM - 26 Jun 2016
3,641 3,641 Retweets 3,950 3,950 likes

https://theobamadiary.com/2016/06/26/the-intimacy-of-a-hug/#comments

Jesse Williams~

[Number23]

10. That baby looks JUST like her daddy!!

What a little cutie!

[Cha]

11. Doesn't she?! What Fine

Genes they have.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. They wore purple. Both his parent wore PURPLE! It made the night a bit more bearable.

[Stellar]

12. Yessss, that is one cute Tenderoni!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

27. This right here...

"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."

[Cha]

5. I just saw it! Oh Wow.. that was Every bit as Powerful as everyone is talking about!

"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."

Jesse Williams!"Black Women"!

Mahalo, UMT

[Stellar]

13. right!

[Cha]

14. Oh, you got it on youtube.. straight up.. Thank you, Stellar!

I was looking for that earlier and they didn't have it yet.

So Magnificent!

[Stellar]

15. Yes, they had several and several Positive response video's to it. nt

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. Thank you so much, my lady. No one is talking about his words for black women, but I wanna

say that I appreciate him so much because he's only one of few who is speaking out on our behalf.

[Cha]

30. Aloha, Liberal_Stalwart~ One of the first shout outs Jesse gave was to the Strong Black Women

who take such good care!

I made an OP in Hillary's Group on the BET awards, too.. including Jesse Williams..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1107&pid=171440

[bettyellen]

32. Best "side note" ever!

[Feeling the Bern]

7. Lots of Truth and pulled no punches.

[TexasBushwhacker]

8. I love him. He is real.

He sidn't originally plan on being an actor. He was a school teacher in NYC. He met his wife before he was famous and they have stayed together. He didn't trade her in for someone younger, skinnier or more glamorous. I guess they are soulmates. Good for them.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. he's so beautiful

and yes, he says intelligent and wonderful things too

[PeaceNikki]

17. He *IS* beautiful.

Inside and out.

[bettyellen]

18. Loved that speech and it was awesome to hear a few actors

Go on about the importance of the election in November and how we need to get behind Hillary.
Am catching it now- up to watching Alicia Keyes.
The Prince tributes are killing me.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

23. I couldn't watch due to the Prince tribute. My poor heart simply can't take anymore.

[bettyellen]

31. But Janel was so joyous! And Sheila E, so amazing, the love pouring out of those two

Was just amazing to see. I was mesmerized, despite feeling a deep loss as well.

[fleabiscuit]

19. This site has the video to play at the top of the page. Time.com

http://time.com/4383413/jesse-williams-bet-speech/

[1StrongBlackMan]

21. Loved this part ...

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.

There is no chain that can hold that passage.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

22. I want to see the entire video. I haven't seen the whole thing yet.

[DonCoquixote]

28. thanks for the transcript

because it allows people to read this rather than go "OK, do I fast forward to this thing on you tube, dangit, I missed it again.."

[Uponthegears]

29. REAL