Jesse Williams’ Speech: Why Skin Tone Doesn’t Matter
By Dernino Demosthene – July 6, 2016
Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams was recently awarded BET’s Humanitarian Award. The outspoken human rights activist—who executive produced the recent documentary, Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement— delivered an impactful and political speech about the cause he has worked so hard and tirelessly on. Alluding to recent victims of police brutality, Williams discussed the violence against black people and the struggles they’ve faced throughout history. The speech received a standing ovation by the audience, who went on to praise Williams on Twitter. Along with that praise came criticism from the Twitterverse about how he wouldn’t be stopped in his nice neighborhood because of his “light-skinned”. The color of his skin is irrelevant to one thing Jesse Williams pointed out: we are not free.
His speech was not specific to light skins or dark skins or brown skins. It was for black people and how we are tired of being pushed around and living in conditional freedom. The content of the criticizing tweets all originate from one thing, colorism. No matter what shade of black you are, you are still black. Why is colorism still a problem plaguing our black communities, our workplace, and our schools? Maybe it is because of the hundreds of years of oppression in which we were also taught to hate each other. Light-skinned slaves were not only brought in to work in the house because of their perceived beauty or the slave owners jaded view of beauty, but to send a message to the other slaves working in the fields that because some of their black brothers and sisters were lighter than them, that they were more valuable. Maybe that’s why colorism is such a huge thing in our black communities.
Years after slavery was banned, we are still feeling the backlash of the inhumane things that were done and said to us. Brainwashing us with lies to diminish us, to crush our spirits. What Jesse was saying in his speech was that we shall no longer tolerate the way we are treated. Either they will give us the freedom and respect that we DESERVE, or we will take it. Do not let the different shades of our skin color divide us at a time where we are stronger united. They do not want us to stand united as one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ourselves. Not even black stars are safe from racism. A change.org petition was created to get Jesse Williams fired from Greys Anatomy because of his speech. Eric Williams, the individual who created the petition said this, “Jesse Williams spewed a racist, hate speech against law enforcement and white people at the BET awards.” If this was a white person making the same speech about an African American, they would have been fired and globally chastised, as they should be, but there have been no consequences to (Eric) Williams’ actions. There have been no companies making a stand against his racist remarks and no swift action condemning his negative attitude.
The petition also said, “Why was Burke’s character fired from Grey’s Anatomy after his inappropriate homophobic slur, but nothing for Jesse Williams? Why the one-way street? Why the support for a hater? Why the hypocrisy? #AllLivesMatter All humans bleed the same color. #EqualConsequences4RacistBehavior”
Clearly there is something wrong with this guy, or is it just me? This is the type of ignorance that needs to be combatted. Even in our “post racism” society, there are still people who believe and say in not so many words, that black people should not be allowed to speak their mind. So before you make fun of someone who is lighter than you or darker than you, take a minute to step back and think about who the real enemy is. Your brother whose ancestors once sweat and bled in the same fields together? Or the system that allowed them to be treated that way?