THE JESSE WILLIAMS B.E.T. SPEECH:
WAS IT REALLY "ALL THAT?" © 2016
Jesse Williams made some very profound comments at the BET Awards show. Kudos to him for making a strong statement. But his comments about racism were like picking low-hanging fruit. Criticizing racism will get a black person a standing ovation 24/7/365 in the black community. But we rarely give speeches that focus on what we’re doing to each other 24/7/365.
Speeches like Williams’ do not deal with the reality people in the ‘hoods are facing everyday.
For example, the greatest threat to Black people today is not some racist cop as Williams devoted much attention to. The greatest threat to black people today is coming from other Blacks. The greatest threat to black life is not coming from the police; it’s coming from other Blacks in the ‘hood. When you get down to it, if your life has been taken, nothing else really matters.
There have been about 10 major police shootings in the last two years. We saw enormous protests across the country in response to those shootings. By contrast, during that same time period, there have been, at a minimum 5000 incidents of Blacks killing Blacks. Guess which scenario got the most attention and generated the most outrage and protests?
We don’t hear angry speeches about what we are doing to each other, every day, in nearly every urban city. But we can only see and fixate on police shootings as if they pose the greatest threat to black life. We shouldn't ignore the actions of the police, and we should protest the actions of rogue police officers. But shouldn’t we devote more attention to the greatest threat to black life?
If you really love black people, and If we really want to make meaningful progress as a group, we can advance our cause more effectively by focusing more on our internal issues. However, right now, we devote over 90 percent of our outrage, energy and protests to racism and 10 percent or less on our internal issues.
How about more speeches on black economic unity? Many Blacks who’ve been taught to think like victims, don’t realize we earn over a trillion dollars each year. What if we made speeches on the need to unite economically?
We often badmouth Hollywood. But what if the black actors, producers, writers and skilled talent formed movie and television studios and produced programs that cast Blacks in a more favorable light? That would be a game changer. But if we only focus on racism and think like victims, we will never realize our economic potential. Why can’t we understand this?
It's not that Williams' speech wasn't important. It's just that speaking to a mostly black audience and talking about racism and racists was a stretch. Black audiences will always be receptive to comments about racism.
Moreover, there's no shortage of Blacks talking, texting, or posting about racists and racism. But there's a shortage of Blacks talking about our self-inflicted wounds and what we should be doing about it.
WAS IT REALLY "ALL THAT?" © 2016
Jesse Williams made some very profound comments at the BET Awards show. Kudos to him for making a strong statement. But his comments about racism were like picking low-hanging fruit. Criticizing racism will get a black person a standing ovation 24/7/365 in the black community. But we rarely give speeches that focus on what we’re doing to each other 24/7/365.
Speeches like Williams’ do not deal with the reality people in the ‘hoods are facing everyday.
For example, the greatest threat to Black people today is not some racist cop as Williams devoted much attention to. The greatest threat to black people today is coming from other Blacks. The greatest threat to black life is not coming from the police; it’s coming from other Blacks in the ‘hood. When you get down to it, if your life has been taken, nothing else really matters.
There have been about 10 major police shootings in the last two years. We saw enormous protests across the country in response to those shootings. By contrast, during that same time period, there have been, at a minimum 5000 incidents of Blacks killing Blacks. Guess which scenario got the most attention and generated the most outrage and protests?
We don’t hear angry speeches about what we are doing to each other, every day, in nearly every urban city. But we can only see and fixate on police shootings as if they pose the greatest threat to black life. We shouldn't ignore the actions of the police, and we should protest the actions of rogue police officers. But shouldn’t we devote more attention to the greatest threat to black life?
If you really love black people, and If we really want to make meaningful progress as a group, we can advance our cause more effectively by focusing more on our internal issues. However, right now, we devote over 90 percent of our outrage, energy and protests to racism and 10 percent or less on our internal issues.
How about more speeches on black economic unity? Many Blacks who’ve been taught to think like victims, don’t realize we earn over a trillion dollars each year. What if we made speeches on the need to unite economically?
We often badmouth Hollywood. But what if the black actors, producers, writers and skilled talent formed movie and television studios and produced programs that cast Blacks in a more favorable light? That would be a game changer. But if we only focus on racism and think like victims, we will never realize our economic potential. Why can’t we understand this?
It's not that Williams' speech wasn't important. It's just that speaking to a mostly black audience and talking about racism and racists was a stretch. Black audiences will always be receptive to comments about racism.
Moreover, there's no shortage of Blacks talking, texting, or posting about racists and racism. But there's a shortage of Blacks talking about our self-inflicted wounds and what we should be doing about it.