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As many continue to rave over Jesse Williams’ impassioned acceptance speech about the treatment of Blacks by whites in America, Alice Walker penned a poem about the BET Award recipient’s message.
The award-winning writer’s poem, “Here It Is” was published on her website and shared on her Facebook page June 29. Since then, the post has been shared 1200 times.
Before launching to the piece, Walker took note of the McDonald’s ad played in the video before the speech, seeming to suggest a different ad should have been shown entirely instead of one by a corporation.
“Here is part of the problem right up front: we have to endure a MacDonald’s add before Jesse Williams’ speech. Surely there is a better way to honor our people than by encouraging them to believe such a corporation cares about what they eat, unless it makes money for them. In any case, it interrupted a poem I wanted to write about fear of blackness in white culture.”
The poem, seen below, not only praises Williams’ handsome looks but his political statement which honors his Blackness. It also encourages white audiences to dispel their belief that pro-Black is anti-white.
“Three deep bows to a beautiful son,” the novelist wrote at the end of the post.
Many fans thanked Walker for writing the composition.
“Thank you for this jewel,” ElizaBeth Ann James wrote.
Gloria Owensby called it “totally On Point! The Truth will set us Free!”
Walker’s take reflects on the Grey’s Anatomy star’s the acceptance of the Humanitarian Award Sunday night. Williams called out white people who culturally appropriate Black art. He also took aim at those who criticize movements like Black Lives Matter without supporting fighting institutional oppression or the African-American struggle against police brutality.
“The burden of the brutalized is not to comfort the bystander. That’s not our job, alright? Stop with all that,” Williams said in part. “If you have a critique for the resistance—for our resistance—then you’d better have an established record of critique of our oppression. If you have no interest… If you have no interest in equal rights for black people, then do not make suggestions to those who do. Sit down.”
