It was one of the most powerful speeches of the last decade.
The Black Entertainment Television awards were on last night, which recognise African Americans excelling in their fields such as acting, music, sports and other areas of entertainment.
Stars such as Alicia Keys, Janelle Monae and Jennifer Hudson were in attendance, however, it is the speech by Grey’s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams that has got everyone talking.
The 34-year-old actor, producer and activist was awarded the Humanitarian award for his activism within the Black Lives Matter movement.
The CEO of the BET awards Debra Lee presented him with the award for his outstanding humanitarian work, following the release of his documentary Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement and his long history of campaigning for the civil rights of African-American people.
.@iJesseWilliams, #BETAwards2016. https://t.co/EQINvF1IMC
— deray (@deray) June 27, 2016
In his emotive speech, Jesse calls out the realistic horror that police mercilessly kill black people every day and he remembers the tragic killings of Tamir Rice, Rekia Boyd, Eric Garner and Sandra Bland.
Only seconds into his speech, the Grey’s Anatomy star receives a standing ovation from the crowd, with actors Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson clapping with admiration for the speaker.
Twitter users praised the actor and expressed their emotions after hearing the incredible speech.
Jesse Williams #BETAwards Speech was phenomenal.
— SHELBY S SCARLET (@ShelbyScarlet) June 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/Ankaman616/status/747379967911092224
'Just because we're magic doesn't mean we're not real.' – Jesse Williams
— Bolu Babalola is technically on leave 🍯&🌶 (@BeeBabs) June 27, 2016
Jesse Williams speech left me speechless, literally
— gms xo 🇸🇱🏁💙 (@xo_getatme) June 27, 2016
