Stop with all that,” Williams said. We can and will do better for you. By signing up you are agreeing to our, Review: The Emmys Were a Comforting Dose of Normalcy, The Trump Campaign Is Trying to Suppress the Black Vote, Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know now on politics, health and more, © 2020 TIME USA, LLC. And let's get a couple things straight, just a little sidenote: the burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. 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. During the show, Williams was given the 2016 Humanitarian Award by BET, and what followed was a powerful, touching, and monumental speech that will be remembered for years to come. Before presenting Williams with his award, Lee also stressed the importance of filling out a ballot, pleading, "Use your voice and vote. now we pray to get paid for brands on our bodies. There is no tax they haven’t leveed against us,” he said. 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. Jesse Williams left audience members in tears while giving a moving acceptance speech at the 2016 BET Awards. The Grey's Anatomy star and political activist was honored with the BET Humanitarian Award, presented by BET CEO Debra L. Lee. Nearly Two-Thirds of Americans Can't Pass a Basic Test of Financial Literacy, Angelina Jolie Asks the Outgoing Head of MI6 About Protecting Democracy, Fighting Misinformation and His Life as a Spy, You can unsubscribe at any time. "There has been no war that we have not fought and died on the front lines of. ‘You’re free,’ they keep telling us. His death sparked a series of protests in Louisiana around the country. The activists, the civil rights attorneys, the struggling parents, the families, the teachers, the students that are realize that a system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do. That's not our job, alright; stop with all that. Before we get into it, I just want to say I brought my parents out tonight. If you have a critique for the resistance, for our resistance, then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression. Below, Genius‘s account of the speech: Peace peace. Now the thing is, though, all of us in here getting money – that alone isn’t gonna stop this. Jesse Williams brought down the house at the BET Awards on Sunday with an impassioned, politically charged speech that brought the audience to their feet and left an indelible mark on the proceedings. Williams, who’s best known for his … We want it now. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. “You’ve just seen the perfect example of a HOLLYWOOD plantation slave!” Dash wrote in response to Williams, who delivered his words after invoking Sandra Bland, a black woman who was found dead in her jail cell days after a routine traffic stop in Texas last year. Also read: Fox News Suspends Contributors for Anti-Obama Profanity (Video). Throughout the emotional speech, Williams spoke about the "Black Lives Matter" movement and how the award was really for the organizers and activists all over the country who are out working for equality throughout the country. Follow Zach on Twitter for jokes and hot takes here. There has been no job we haven’t done. “Police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day … 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.”, Also Read: Petition to Fire Jesse Williams From 'Grey's Anatomy' for 'Racist' BET Speech Passes 6,000 Signatures, “If this was a white person making the same speech about an African American,” the petition reads, “they would have been fired and globally chastised, as they should be, but there has been no consequences to Williams’ actions.”, Calling his speech “nothing short of an attack on white people,” Dash said “the fact that you were standing on that stage at THOSE awards tells people you really don’t know what your talking about. Fox News contributor Stacey Dash took aim at Beyonce and Jay-Z on Twitter over their trip to Cuba in 2013 to celebrate their anniversary. Thank you Nate Parker, Harry and Debbie Allen for participating in that [video]. LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 26: Recording artists Beyonce (L) and Kendrick Lamar perform in water onstage during the 2016 BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater on June 26, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. There is no tax they haven’t leveed against us – and we’ve paid all of them. Just spewing hate and anger.”, “‘You’re free,’ they keep telling us. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? We want it now," Williams continued. Thank you Nate Parker, Harry and Debbie Allen for participating in that {video}. “Tell Rekia Boyd how it’s so much better to live in 2012 than 1612 or 1712. But she would have been alive if she hadn’t acted so… free. We can and will do better for you. "And for those who think, 'Oh, he's not gonna win.' Although known for his work on Grey’s Anatomy and other films, Williams is also a prominent member and leader of groups such as Black Lives Matter. There has been no war that we have not fought and died on the front lines of. The emotional speech was easily the biggest highlight of the star-studded evening, as he brought the crowd to its feet multiple times throughout the moving testament. But freedom is somehow always conditional here. (Applause.) Tell that to Sandra Bland. Check out the video below for a look at the explosive opening number. Dash earned herself a two-week suspension when she said Barack Obama didn't "give a shit" about terrorism on air. The hereafter is a hustle. But she would have been alive if she hadn't acted so... free. 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. Thank you, Debra. 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. The 2016 BET Awards are officially a wrap, and while there were plenty of winners on the night, nobody shined brighter than Grey's Anatomy star Jesse Williams. Now, this is also in particular for the black women in particular who have spent their lifetimes dedicated to nurturing everyone before themselves. If you have no interest, in equal rights for black people then do not make suggestions to those who do. But freedom is somehow always conditional here.". “Words are only as good as the response to those words. Now, freedom is always coming in the hereafter, but you know what, though, the hereafter is a hustle. "Make sure you vote, and take eight people with you to vote. Actor and activist Jesse Williams was awarded with the BET Humanitarian Award on June 26, 2016. Sit down. Later in the show, Samuel L. Jackson praised Williams while accepting the BET Lifetime Achievement Award, sharing, "Jesse's the closest thing I've heard to a 1960s activist. Tell that to Dorian Hunt. Watch Jesse Williams’ acceptance speech at the 2016 BET Awards above. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iZKnMhf0cs, American Rhetoric: John F. Kennedy -- Civil Rights Addess, Martin Luther King I Have a Dream Speech - American Rhetoric, Remarks by the President at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches. The thing is though... the thing is that just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real. This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. But freedom is somehow always conditional here. 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. "This award is also for the black women in particular who have spent their lives nurturing everyone before themselves -- we can and will do better for you," Williams said. “You’re free,” they keep telling us. The emotional speech was easily the biggest highlight of the star-studded evening, as he brought the crowd to its feet multiple times throughout the moving testament. Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar delivered a surprise performance, Beyonce and Kendrick Lamar Open 2016 BET Awards With Fiery Performance of 'Freedom'. Tell Rekia Boyd how it's so much better to live in 2012 than it is to live in 1612, or 1712. Thank you. ", Also read: Fox News’ Stacey Dash on Hollywood Gender Pay Gap: ‘Be a Better Negotiator’ (Video). Tell that to Sandra Bland. One of the bullets hit Tamir in the torso. The thing is though, just because we're magic doesn’t mean we're not real.". 'Just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real', Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Williams kept on, receiving a continuous round of applause, while leaving some audience members, Jamie Foxx included, in tears. He was 37 years old at the time of death. By signing up, you agree to our It's kind of basic mathematics - the more we learn about who we are and how we got here, the more we will mobilize. “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.”, “This is taking us backward, not forward toward ending racism,” the petition reads, asking, “If Jesse’s speech was truly only directed toward certain ‘whiteness,’ then why are black people not acknowledging that and explaining it?”. Also Read: Jesse Williams' BET Awards Speech: 5 Highlights That Make It a Must Watch (Video), “[We are] 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.”, “Not at all inconsistent being said while wearing expensive duds branded with designer logos,” Dash jibed. Meanwhile Erin Smith, who created the petition, called it “a racist hate speech against law enforcement and white people.” Here’s what they took issue with. Williams words elicited one of the loudest standing ovations of the evening, with many in the crowd brought to tears. But freedom is somehow always conditional here. This video is … … BLACK ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION is WHITE OWNED.”, “BET is keeping racism and segregation alive and this past Sunday’s awards show proves it,” Dash continued. Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams was awarded BET’s Humanitarian Award on Sunday night. There has been no job we haven’t done. But freedom is somehow conditional here. All Rights Reserved. They made sure to that I learned what the schools were afraid to teach us. “If anyone is GHETTO-IZING anyone, it’s people like you letting the BETs and other media outlets portray us in stereotypes,” Dash said. ‘She would’ve been alive if she hadn’t acted so… free.’”, “Freedom is always coming in the hereafter, but, you know what the hereafter is a hustle. Ghettoizing and demeaning our creations, then stealing them, gentrifying our genius, then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. During the show, Williams … 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. Fox News contributor Stacey Dash has publicly spoken out and a Change.org petition seeks his dismissal from the show.