The Hereafter is a Hustle: How Jesse Williams Woke Up America

In case you’ve been in a giant, Brexit-sized hole lately?—?I’ll catch you up to speed. Jesse Williams, an actor who plays Dr. Jackson Avery on Shonda Rhymes’ wildly successful (and surprisingly still airing) show, Grey’s Anatomy, just gave a speech that’s going to change the world. His acceptance speech for the BET Humanitarian award started with thanking his parents and his wife, and then went on to poetically rip racism with speed and charisma, unlike anything I’ve heard.

As you might imagine, the speech went viral. But unlike the latest internet cat sensation—?the content of Williams’ speech actually matters. His words brought the crowd to its feet and are forcing the rest of the nation to grapple with what it means for the future of race in America. So what made his words so compelling? Head on over to Medium to find out...