>>THE BET AWARDS HAPPENED OVER THE WEEKENDS, AND WHAT IS MAKING
HEADLINES FROM THE CEREMONY IS DEFINITELY JESSE WILLIAMS'S
SPEECH ON BLACK LIVES MATTER.
THERE WERE TWO PARTS OF THE SPEECH THAT STOOD OUT TO ME,
I WANT TO SHOW YOU GUYS, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIRST VIDEO.
>>THE MORE WE LEARN ABOUT WHO WE ARE HOW WE GOT HERE, THE MORE WE
WOULD MOBILIZE.
THIS IS ALSO IN PARTICULAR FOR THE BLACK WOMEN
IN PARTICULAR, WHO HAVE SPENT THEIR LIFETIMES DEDICATED TO
NURTURING EVERYONE BEFORE THEMSELVES.
WE CAN AND WILL BE
BETTER FOR YOU.
NOW --
>>AND THEN RIGHT AFTER THAT, HE TALKS ABOUT HOW IT IS
INTERESTING HOW ALL THESE CASES OF POLICE BRUTALITY AND PEOPLE
GETTING SHOT IMPACTS THE BLACK COMMUNITY MORE THAN ANY
OTHER COMMUNITY.
>>I LOVE THE SPEECH, BUT AS YOU WILL SEE, SINCE HE SAID
SOME HARD TRUTHS, PEOPLE WILL BE REALLY MAD AT HIM.
THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THE TRUTH, THE MORE MAD PEOPLE GET.
>>NOW --
>>[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>>I GOT MORE, Y'ALL.
YESTERDAY WOULD HAVE BEEN YOUNG TAMIR
RICE'S 40TH BIRTHDAY, SO I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE ABOUT HOW
FAR WE'VE COME WHEN PAID PUBLIC SERVANTS CAN PULL A DRIVE-BY ON
A 12-YEAR-OLD PLAYING IN THE PARK AND GO HOME TO MAKE A
SANDWICH.
TELL THEM HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS TO LIVE IN 2012
THEN 1612.
TELL THAT TO ERIC GARNER OR DORIAN HUNT.
THE THING
IS THAT ALL OF US IN HERE GETTING MONEY, THAT ALONE IS
GOING TO STOP THIS.
ALL RIGHT?
DEDICATING OUR LIVES, DEDICATING
OUR LIVES TO GETTING MONEY JUST TO GIVE IT RIGHT BACK FOR
SOMEONE'S BRAND ON OUR BODY WHEN WE SPENT CENTURIES PRAYING WITH
BRANDS ON OUR BODIES, AND NOW WE PRAY TO GET PAID FOR BRANDS ON
OUR BODIES?
>>WOW.
>>THAT WAS REALLY POWERFUL.
AND HE PUT THAT SO PERFECTLY, AND I'VE NEVER THOUGHT
ABOUT IT FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE.
>>I THINK CELEBRITIES HAVE A CHOICE, A LOT OF PEOPLE PAY
ATTENTION TO THEM, IF THAT WAS A REGULAR GUY GIVING A SPEECH, THE
SAME SPEECH, AND ACTIVIST, IT WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN ANYWHERE
NEAR THE ATTENTION.
I LOVE WHEN THEY TRIED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
THE OTHER TIME I HEARD ABOUT TAMIR RICE'S BIRTHDAY BEING OVER
THE WEEKEND WAS ON A PANEL THAT ROSARIO DAWSON DID AT POLITICON.
THOSE ARE THE TWO TIMES I HEARD IT, GIVE ME A CHILL DOWN MY
SMILE.
BECAUSE TWO YEARS LATER, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 14.
WHAT
JESSE WILLIAMS SAYS THERE IS NEARLY INDISPUTABLE -- THEY
DROVE RIGHT UP TO THE KID AND SHOT HIM WITHIN TWO SECONDS.
THAT IS A DRIVE-BY.
A DRIVE-BY IS, YOU DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, YOU
DON'T INQUIRE INTO WHAT IS GOING ON, YOU JUST SPRAY BULLETS.
WITHIN TWO SECONDS THEY SPRAYED THAT THE KID.
THEY NEVER ASKED
HIM TO PUT DOWN WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE A TOY GUN, OBVIOUSLY THEY
DIDN'T CLEARLY SEE IT, THERE WAS NOTHING.
THEY NEVER GAVE THE KID
A CHANCE.
ERIC GARNER DIDN'T HAVE A CHANCE.
AND ALMOST PEOPLE
HE TALKS ABOUT.
THAT MAKES PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT HE'S
WINNING A HUMANITARIAN AWARD.
IF YOU DON'T DO IT THEN, WHEN DO
YOU?
PLENTY OF PEOPLE SPEAK OUT FOR THE COPS AND THE
ESTABLISHMENT AND AUTHORITY, YOU HAVE A WHOLE CHANNEL DEVOTED TO
THAT, FOX NEWS CHANNEL.
A LOT OF CHANNELS.
SO EVEN WHEN THE CNNs
OF THE WORLD DO IT, THEY ASSUME WHAT THE COPS ARE SAYING IS TRUE
AND IT HAS TO BE DISPROVEN.
THEY HAVE ALL THE WEIGHT ON THE SCALE
ON THE SIDE OF AUTHORITY FIGURES.
IF AUTHORITY FIGURES
SAY IT, IT IS LIKELY TO BE TRUE.
BUT IF YOU COULD SOMEHOW
MAGICALLY DISPROVE IT -- AND THANK GOD THERE IS A LITTLE BIT
OF MAGIC CALLED VIDEO WE NOW HAVE ON OUR SMART PHONES SO YOU
CAN SEE ERIC GARNER BEING CHOKED TO DEATH.
IF THERE WASN'T A
CAMERA IN THAT PARK IN CLEVELAND, ORIGINALLY THE COPS
IN CLEVELAND SAID HE WAS AROUND 20 YEARS OLD.
HE WAS 12.
BUT
THEY ARE USED TO LYING.
A FORMER BALTIMORE COP SAID ON THE YOUNG
TURKS, YOU THINK AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BEEN
LYING FOR OVER 100 YEARS?
>>[BUFFERING]
>>THE REST OF THE MEDIA SAYS, BELIEVE THE COPS FIRST, BELIEVE
THE GOVERNMENT FIRST, BELIEVE THE OPPRESSORS FIRST, AND IF YOU
POINT OUT THAT OPPRESSION, HOW DARE YOU?
I GUARANTEE PEOPLE
WILL TRY TO CALL JESSE WILLIAMS ALL SORTS OF NAMES, DON'T BE
BULLIED BY THAT.
>>I LOVE WHAT HE DID, AND WITH A SPEECH LIKE THAT, WITH
EVERYTHING THAT MINORITIES ARE GOING THROUGH IN THE COUNTRY
RIGHT NOW, I KEEP WONDERING, HOW IS THIS ALL GOING TO PLAY OUT IN
THE FUTURE?
BECAUSE I THINK MORE THAN EVER, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT
COMES TO RACE RELATIONS, THERE IS A LOT OF VITRIOL, A LOT OF
DIVISION, YOU HAVE SOMEONE LIKE DONALD TRUMP EMBOLDENED THE MOST
HATEFUL, THE MOST DISCRIMINATORY, AND SO SOMEONE
MAKES AN INSPIRING SPEECH LIKE THAT PEOPLE GO OFF IN THEIR
CORNERS AND THEY SPOUT OUT THERE TALKING POINTS, THE RIGHT WING
MEDIA SAYS WHAT THEY ARE EXPECTED TO SAY, LIBERALS WILL
APPLAUD HIM MUCH LIKE WE ARE DOING NOW -- HOW DO WE GET
TOGETHER AND FIGHT FOR REAL CHANGE?
THAT IS THE QUESTION I
HAVE, BECAUSE I LOVED HIS SPEECH, AND I LOVE THAT HE IS
NOT JUST HOLDING THOSE IN POWER ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS,
HE IS HOLDING THOSE WHO ARE PART OF THE COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABLE AS
WELL.
NOT IN A BAD WAY, BUT SAYING INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON
THE GLITZ AND THE GLAM AND THE NAME BRANDS, LET'S FOCUS ON
HELPING OUR COMMUNITY, WHICH IS A POWERFUL MESSAGE.
>>I ASK YOU TO THINK, WHAT IF IT IS YOUR 12-YEAR-OLD?
THAT SEEMS
OBVIOUS, BUT FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE IT ISN'T.
I MEAN, IF A COP SHOT
MY 12-YEAR-OLD KID BECAUSE HE WAS PLAYING WITH A TOY GUN I
WOULD BE DEVASTATED, OUTRAGED, I WOULD SEEK TO FIND JUSTICE -- SO
WHY DO YOU ASSUME THAT IS NOT THE CASE WHEN IT COMES TO A
BLACK FAMILY?
JUST TRY TO SEE IT THE OTHER WAY FOR A SECOND.
BY
THE WAY, WE DO THAT IN MANY CASES WHEN THE SITUATION IS
REVERSED.
WE SAY LOOK, NOT EVERY WHITE PERSON OR THE ENTIRE
SYSTEM IS RACIST, AND A LOT OF THEM DON'T EVEN DO IT WITH BAD
INTENT.
THEY LIVE IN THEIR OWN BIBLE, AND CAN WE BURST EACH
OTHER'S BUBBLE AND TALK TO ONE ANOTHER?
A SPEECH LIKE THAT
FACILITATES IT AND STARTS THAT CONVERSATION, ANOTHER REASON I
LIKE IT.
LAST THING, PEOPLE LIKE TO BRAG ABOUT HOW THEY ARE TRUTH
TELLERS.
I SAW THIS IN THE SAME ROSARIO DAWSON PANEL, LIZZ
WINSTEAD SAID THIS, FORMER EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF THE DAILY
SHOW, A SMART, PROGRESSIVE WOMAN.
YOU LIKE TO PICK ON
PEOPLE AND GET YOUR OWN SIDE RATHER.
I'M GOING TO SAY THINGS
AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE, I'M A TRUTH TELLER, I'M NOT
POLITICALLY CORRECT.
WHETHER YOU ARE A COMEDIAN OR WHATEVER.
LET'S SEE YOU SAY SOMETHING AGAINST BRANDS, CORPORATIONS,
PEOPLE WHO PAY YOU.
THEN I BELIEVE YOU HAVE REAL COURAGE
AND YOU ARE A TRUTH TELLER.
IT IS LIKE ANOTHER COMEDIAN SAID ON
THE YOUNG TURKS, IN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T
SAY THINGS AGAINST GOVERNMENT OR RELIGION OR ALLAH MOHAMMED.
THAT'S TRUE, HERE YOU CAN'T SAY IT AGAINST TIED, AGAINST THE BIG
BRANDS THAT ARE EVERYBODY'S ADVERTISERS.
THAT IS OUR GOD.
YOU WANT ME TO BELIEVE YOU HAVE COURAGE?
SPEAK AGAINST THAT, LET
ME SEE HOW THAT WORKS OUT.
VERY OFTEN NEITHER CONSERVATIVES NOR
LIBERALS WILL DO THAT, BUT JESSE WILLIAMS HAD THAT COURAGE, AND
THAT IS REAL COURAGE.