Jesse Williams' BET Awards Speech
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Overview
Jesse Williams BET Awards Speech was an oration delivered by American actor Jesse William after receiving the Humanitarian Award at the BET Awards ceremony in late June 2016. Williams' acceptance speech, which placed the spotlight on several hot-button button issues that have long been affecting the black community, was met with a standing ovation from the audience and praise from the news media, though not without drawing criticisms from alt-right members and critics of the Black Lives Matter movement on the social media.
Background
At the 16th annual BET Awards ceremony on June 26th, 2016, Jesse Williams, the American actor best known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the ABC Television series Grey's Anatomy, received the Humanitarian Award of the Year for for his involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement and other contributions to civil rights activism. Upon receiving the award, Williams gave an acceptance speech that touched on a range of issues surrounding race relations in the United States, including institutional racism, police brutality and cultural appropriation.
Developments
Online reaction to the speech has been mixed, with those from the left praising the speech and those from the right criticizing it.
Justin Timberlake's Reaction
The controversy over Jesse Williams' speech began when American pop musician Justin Timberlake tweeted a message praising Williams' speech with the hashtag #inspired.
Many people felt that Timberlake's tweet exemplified the cultural appropriation of black culture that was pointed out during the speech, prompting a lengthy debate.
Later that evening, Timberlake tweeted an apology to those who were offended by his message.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Variety – Watch: Jesse Williams Gives Stirring Speech About Racism at BET Awards
[2] CNN – Jesse Williams' speech stole the BET Awards
[3] People – Grey's Anatomy Star Jesse Williams Delivers Powerful Speech on Racial Injustice at 2016 BET Awards
[4] Daily Mail – 'I feel misunderstood!' Justin Timberlake responds after he's accused of cultural appropriation after praising Jesse Williams' BET speech
[5] TIME – Read the Full Transcript of Jesse Williams’ Powerful Speech on Race at the BET Awards
[6] BET – BET Awards Acceptance Speech: Jesse Williams Spits Knowledge Like a Seasoned MC
[7] New York Times – Petition Wants Jesse Williams Fired for His Speech at BET Awards. But He’s Not Worried
[8] Twitter – @JTimberlake's Tweet
[9] Twitter – @Sockruhtese's Tweet
[10] Twitter – @Weeeeerkaholic's Tweet
[11] Twitter – @JTimberlake's Tweet
[12] Change.org – Boycott ABC & Sign petition to fire Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy for racist rant
[13] Reddit – What's going on with Justin Timberlake and Jesse Williams?
Top Comments
Douk
Jul 03, 2016 at 11:38PM EDT
PatrickBateman96
Jul 03, 2016 at 08:04PM EDT