(AllHipHop News) This year’s BET Awards features a long list of moments that have Black Twitter buzzing, but celebrating stopped for one a few minutes when actor Jesse Williams walked on stage to accept this year’s Humanitarian Award.
The “Grey’s Anatomy” actor was awarded for his work during the civil unrest following the death of Michael Brown, which includes writing articles for several publications about the justice system, participating in multiple civil organizations and projects, and even going to Ferguson, Missouri to protest.
What made such a the special more special was his acceptance speech, which projected the anger, pride, and aggressiveness of the Black community in only a few minutes.
Thanking his wife and supporters, Williams not only dedicated his award to Black women and those who have protested recent racial issues.
“Now, this award, this is not for me, this is for the real organizers all over the country, activist civil rights attorneys, the parents, the teachers, the students who are realizing that a system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do. All right?”
The actor also took some time to double-down on his thoughts on the unjust murders if Michael Brown and Tamir Rice.
“I got more, y’all. Yesterday would have been young Tamir Rice’s 14th birthday so I don’t want to hear any more about how far we’ve come when paid public servants can pull a drive-by on a 12-year-old playing alone in a 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 to live in 2012 than 1612 or 1712. Tell that to Eric Garner, Sandra Bland.”
“The thing is though, all of us here are getting money, that alone isn’t going to stop this. Dedicating our lives to getting money just to give it right back to put 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?”
Watch the full speech below.
