On Sunday, March 22nd, the Syracuse University chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ SU) hosted an event with special guest, actor and activist Jesse Williams.

Williams is not only Dr. Avery on ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, he is also a former high school teacher and a social activist. Never shying away from voicing his opinions and experiences, Williams has made several television appearances on CNN and MSNBC and stays vocal on social media.

During his visit, he did not hold back in providing the audience with some insight into the acting world, Black Lives Matter, his newscast appearances, and much more.

Williams talked about his beginnings from growing up in Chicago to eventually moving to a suburb in Massachusetts.

“I went from white boy to nigger in a week,” he shared. Regarding how he became the person he is today he took a path similar to his parents who were both teachers and activists. He shared his childhood dreams, which included wanting to be a civil rights attorney or a football player.

As a young adult, he attended Temple University, double majoring in African American studies and film. After college, Williams began teaching in local public high schools in North Philadelphia. For him, teaching was “the most satisfying job.”

Using his film background, Williams started to search for low to no-paying jobs in New York to get experience. He never really considered acting as a profession until he realized it was another way to be a storyteller.

“[Acting] isn’t just delivering, it’s inhabiting a space,” said Williams. Eventually he moved to Los Angeles where he struggled for a bit of time, sleeping on couches and “hustled hard.”

Over the course of his career, Williams has denied acting roles that perpetuated racist and shiftless stereotypes like roles portraying a street thug robbing a white person. However, according to him, for most actors, “beggars can’t be choosers.”

His observation is that often, there are so many unnecessarily racists roles in television and film. These characters are “created out of habit.”
When asked about other celebrities using their star power for activism, Williams replied that he can only speak for himself having his “own measure of responsibility.” Therefore, it should be no surprise that Williams has now transitioned into a frequent news commentator in topics of social injustice.

In addressing his role as a frequent news outlet correspondent, Williams explained that his one-time appearance on CNN has turned into a recurring role. The continued social narrative in regards to racially charged issues is one that he often is asked to speak on.

“There’s a lot of shit going down,” said Williams. “It’s the same conversation, there’s no actual problem solving.”

“Why hasn’t there been change?” moderator Remington Bennett ‘15 asked.
While there is no easy to answer, Williams explained that our systems are so interconnected that tackling every part of it is like “whack-a-mole.” Lack of knowledge lends more audiences to rapidly consume what the media is spoon-feeding. But lot of the problem stems from “not knowing contextually where we stand.”

“The less you know the more you believe,” said Williams.

Williams explained that what he speaks for is “movement,” a movement that prompts simplicity as it comes down to two things, “Pain and Love.” Williams recalled his visit to peacefully protest in Ferguson, Missouri, where 18-year-old Mike Brown was gunned down by police officer Darren Wilson in August 2014.

“There is so much love in Ferguson,” he said. “We are not saying Black lives matter more. Black Lives Matter is a declaration of personhood.”

From the broad range of topics covered, it is clear that Williams is a multifaceted and intriguing individual. He can definitely be categorized as more than just his profession as he understands contextually where he stands in society.

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Photo courtesy NABJ SU