Thank you, Jesse Williams.
Thank you so much for so eloquently and intelligent tackling the issue of black oppression and race appropriation in this country. Thank you for standing on a stage and telling the world what many people of color have felt, and feel every single day in this country.
As someone who begins to learn more and more about our ignored history, and how this current system is set up to reap the benefits and steal the lives from people of color, I echo your thoughts. Especially, of when it comes to the misguided history we present through our schools and education. And of course, there is the way students of color - all types - are held down under the system of "whiteness" in higher education. I see it everyday as someone who works in such an environment.
Again, Mr. Williams, I can't do your speech any justice with praise in my own words as it would fall short. I am truly, truly moved by your sentiments. Your closing words and remarks are easily one of the best pieces of rhetoric I've ever read. And that's not hyperbole. As you claimed, we - everyone - especially people of color, need to continue to educate, and mobilize. You're right, "we've been floating this country on credit" for far too long.
"We've been floating this country on credit for centuries, yo, and we're done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil - black gold, ghettoizing and demeaning our creations then stealing them, gentrifying our genius and then trying us on like costumes before discarding our bodies like rinds of strange fruit. The thing is though... the thing is that just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real."
To listen to Williams' entire speech, you can do so here.