Jesse Williams has earned the name “activist bae” for many reasons. He is active on social media about his concern for the preservation of Black Lives. He is a humanitarian and does not shy away from confrontation when it comes to challenging the status quo of racial aggression in the United States. Williams gave an amazing speech at the 2016 BET Awards on Sunday that only confirmed his seriousness when it comes to this work.

In the speech, he praised Black women for their ability to always take care of others over themselves. In terms of activism, he said “The burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander” and “If you have a critique of our resistance then you better have an established record of critique of our oppression.” Overall the speech was as moving as it was honest. It was timely given the work that so many young Black people are doing in their communities each day to preserve Black Lives.

Watch the video below:

 

Author

  • Jenn M. Jackson was born and raised in East Oakland, California, a fact which motivates her writing and academic ambitions. She is a scholar, educator, and writer whose writing addresses Black Politics and civil and public life for young Black people with a focus on policing and surveillance. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of Water Cooler Convos, a culture platform for Black millennials. Her writing has been featured in Washington Post, BITCH Magazine, Marie Claire, EBONY, The Root, Daily Dot, The Independent, and many others. Jackson is a doctoral candidate at the University of Chicago studying American Politics with a focus on political participation and engagement, public opinion and social movements. For more about her, tweet her at @JennMJack or visit her website at jennmjackson.com.