Ten thousand. That’s about how many people have signed a Change.org petition to have actor Jesse Williams fired from ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. As of this writing, the number stands at 10,225. Williams, who has portrayed Dr. Jackson Avery on the show for the last seven seasons, was chosen as Humanitarian of the Year by Black Entertainment Television (BET) and appeared during the show’s annual televised BET Awards Show. Williams has been an outspoken activist for a number of years, and was on the ground providing support to a number of local and national organizations in Ferguson, Missouri, in the wake of the murder of Michael Brown by former officer Darren Wilson. He also executive produced a film on the Black Lives Movement entitled Stay Woke.
Williams’ acceptance speech covered the areas of police violence against African Americans; criticism of the response of African Americans to police violence; pushback against artists who engage in cultural appropriation from African Americans; and a plea for more African-American artists and entertainers to become active and alleviate oppression, since simply earning high salaries will ultimately not shield them. You can view Williams’ acceptance speech in its entirety by going here.
Williams’ speech has been called passionate, incendiary, liberating, and inspiring. But it has also been called “racist hate speech” by an “Erin Williams,” whose Change.org petitions calls on ABC to fire Williams because of it:
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 has been no consequences to Williams’ actions. There’s been no companies making a stand against his racist remarks and no swift action condemning his negative attitude. 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
It should be mentioned that the BET Awards were also broadcast on Nickelodeon this year, increasing the program’s audience and exposure … which is probably how Erin Smith happened upon Williams’ speech.
Erin is not alone in her horror.
In addition to all those petition signers, Tomi Lahren is mad at Jesse too. Lahren, a host of Glenn Beck’s The Blaze TV, made her own impassioned speech against Williams:
“It’s not white people working to divide America, it’s you!” she exclaimed as if Williams could hear her. “You and Beyonce and Jada Pinkett Smith and Al Sharpton. Do you see yourself as a victim?”
You can view Lahren’s tirade against Williams here.
Although a “dueling” petition has also been created calling on Shonda Rhimes, creator of Grey’s Anatomy, to keep Williams on the show, its basically unnecessary since Rhimes tweeted over the weekend that Williams pretty much had nothing to fear from either Smith’s or Lahren’s outbursts.
Carry on.