Jesse Williams Speech Analysis

At the 2016 BET Awards, Jesse Williams, mostly notable known for his role on the critically acclaimed TV show Grey’s Anatomy, received the Humanitarian award. This prestigious award is given to social activists who utilize their platform as a means to shed light on the societal inequities that plague our country. During his acceptance speech, Williams addressed several pressing social issues including racism and police brutality. He also addressed the heavy criticism that movements that campaign for the advancement of African Americans were facing at the time. The overall goal of this speech was to inform the audience of prevalent social issues in America and encourage them to utilize their platforms to effect positive change and take a stand …show more content…
He effectively connected with the audience because he proudly acknowledged that fact he is black, and as a black man living in America he is also affected by all of the problems that he addressed in his speech. Another technique that he utilized that allowed him to connect with audience was knowing and analyzing his audience beforehand. This allowed him to be able to present a message that he knew the audience would agree with and be pleased hearing. By doing this, he connected with the audience on an even deeper level and this led to a more receptive audience who was eager to hear and accept the message. The overall tone of this speech is serious and eminent. To help establish and support the tone of the speech, Williams shares the of a 12 year-old Tamir Rice. Rice was an African American boy who was shot and killed by the police in broad daylight while playing alone in a public park. This tragic story speaks to the severity of the problems that he is addressing and contributes to the overall tone of the …show more content…
He initiated eye contact with the audience in the beginning and maintained it throughout the remainder of the speech. He delivered the speech with both competence and confidence. Williams also forms common ground with the audience by relating with them through a common problem. Most importantly, he supported his logical argument with evidence by utilizing the rhetorical strategy of pathos, which is appealing to the audience’s emotions. He did this by sharing the stories of people who have lost their life due to police brutally, specifically the story of Tamir Rice. This stimulated emotions, such as empathy, sadness, and even anger and frustration. As a result, the audience became more interested in the topic and more involved in the