They say the revolution will not be televised. That change is slow to be implemented and acknowledged. But tonight was the BET Awards and the revolution spoke when Grey’s Anatomy actor, Jesse Williams, gave an acceptance speech on the BET stage. If you missed it, checkout the video and read the transcript.
As a young writer of color, I find, that as a figure in media, my raw emotion and voice seems to get lost in the plethora of other outlets of media that distract the general population from the source of that emotion. Jesse Williams finally broke that barrier. He strategized how he would broadcast the truth through a mass media that tries so hard to demonize and suppress it. BET managed to broadcast the awards on other major networks, such as Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. They had no choice but to broadcast his message. Williams made me realize that as a figure of the media, the ability to project your voice and critique my oppressors, should not only be my duty, but my desire and passion. I find myself sometimes being too tame in my writing; that in order to avoid controversy I must write in a restrained manner. But Williams has given me an idea; he used his platform of television to get his voice out, so I’ll use my platform of the written word to get mine out.
It is my thought that we can’t be expected as black people to walk, and march, and slave, and toil, and forcibly build the infrastructure, of which the institution that seeks to oppress us, resides and not speak up and say collectively, not a demographic of numbers, but as a people, that we’ve had enough. That we’re tired of the murder of young black boys being nothing more than open and shut cases. That we’re tired of black actors and artists not being shown the proper recognition for their craft. What Williams taught us is that we can still hold true to our passion and use that passion for the sake of justice. And what is even better is that the youth of black America took to Twitter and spread his message to the masses. What beauty there is in seeing the people spread the message of revolution even further than it already was.
One of my favorite things that Williams talked about in his speech was “conditional freedom”. And I had an epiphany when he said that. We truly are not fully and truly free; constitutionally we are, but not fully. Our children can play with toys, but only if they don’t look like weapons. We can walk freely down the street, but only if you don’t look suspicious. We can have a voice, but only if it’s about all people and not us. We are living under the terms of conditions of a structure that seeks to destroy us, but I refuse to hit accept. The revolution has been televised; it’s been televised across the country to people afraid to see us change for the better. Now the only question that remains is, will it be realized?
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