“Exhibiting real anger over the fact that a complete stranger is dating outside of his race makes me think that there are deeper levels of hatred among members of the activist community.”
I was scrolling through social media the other day when I noticed some trending outrage popping up on a couple different platforms. At first, I thought it was something incredibly horrible, so I did some research. The majority of people posting about their outrage were social justice warriors and when I found out why they were so upset, I couldn’t believe it. The rage was centered around a television actor named Jessie Williams, who appears in the show Grey’s Anatomy. Williams is actively involved in social issues and has been hailed by the black community for his efforts.
To give a quick recap: Jessie Williams is biracial (half white, half black), and filed for divorce from his black wife. Shortly afterwards, rumors began to circulate that Williams was dating a white woman. Apparently, it was recently confirmed that Jessie Williams is indeed dating a white actress, Minka Kelly—which has caused anger on a large scale among social justice warriors. Many of them attacked Williams character while condemning him for dating a white woman. Much of the outrage stemmed from a speech Williams gave during a BET awards show when he spoke about being appreciative of black women and respecting what they contribute to society. To the angry social justice warriors, Jessie Williams had committed the worst act of treason imaginable.
It’s hard to believe that in 2017, people are taking issue with interracial dating. Not only that, Jessie Williams is half white himself. It’s even more troubling to see this coming from a minority community. Social justice warriors have not only tried to discredit this man’s work within the black community, they took it upon themselves to speculate about his personal relationships.
That’s the problem with a lot of activists. They expect everyone to fall in line and adhere to an unspoken code that dating outside of one’s race disrespects the women in the black community. It’s absolute garbage. I’m still confused as to why this man’s bedroom life is even up for scrutiny, other than to give social justice warriors something new to be angry about.
Turning on a member of their community over something completely trivial and insignificant shows the thin line members of the activist community must walk. Throughout my research, I came across several social media posts praising Jessie Williams for having married a black woman. What in all of the world is happening inside the minds of people these days?
Measuring a person’s merit by the color of their spouse is likely the most degrading thing I’ve come across in some time. Exhibiting real anger over the fact that a complete stranger is dating outside of his race makes me think that there are deeper levels of hatred among members of the activist community. It’s truly insane to witness the level of ignorance people have posted in response. Many of the posts I have seen have sought to not only discredit, but ridicule Williams for choosing to date a white woman. I can only imagine the reaction if the shoe were on the other foot.
