Jesse Williams faces backlash after promoting upcoming film about Emmett Till's mother with Nike meme
Jesse Williams seems to be rethinking the social media marketing campaign for his upcoming film.
The Grey’s Anatomy star was eager to announce Monday that he’ll be making his directorial debut with Till. The movie tells the story of Mamie Till Mobley, the mother of Emmett Louis Till, the 14-year-old black teen who was lynched after being accused of flirting with a white woman in the South in 1955. Mobley insisted that his casket be open at his funeral, a move credited with sparking the civil rights movement. The film is based on Keith A. Beauchamp’s 2005 documentary, The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, which led the United States Department of Justice to reopen the Till case in 2004.
Till is expected to begin production next summer, with Whoopi Goldberg set to produce and act in the project.
Williams shared the exciting news along with a series of images of Mamie Till accompanied by the slogan, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The tagline is from Nike’s recent “Just Do It” campaign starring Colin Kaepernick.
Many found the use of the Nike message to be disrespectful.
Jesse Williams posted that photo of Mamie Till with the Kaepernick quote like she made a choice to sacrifice her son to uh… murder.
Let’s think about things before we slap a meme over it.
— Happenstance the Rapper (@BeezHunny) September 24, 2018
Jesse Williams just made Emmett Till into a Nike meme. Bruh…..
— I tweet (@c__suave) September 24, 2018
a nike meme of emmett till’s mother to promote a movie????? i hate jesse williams. wow.
— I’M MALCOLM X. (@itssnaz_) September 24, 2018
Oh hey guys what did Jesse Williams d— pic.twitter.com/uwQtj8JWme
— “…starring Jamie as Busty McShort.” (@thewayoftheid) September 24, 2018
A Black mother’s pain at the horrific murder of her son should not be counted as “sacrifice” and even her decision for an open casket is not properly framed as “sacrifice” or something to believe in…
Please reconsider. This was not fully thought out, sir.
— ? (@JagunEsq) September 24, 2018
Is Jesse Williams hacked?!
— Alla Prima Donna (@krissiscribbles) September 24, 2018
Y’all really gotta be more careful with the use of Black historical subjects on social media (memes, gifs, references). Jesse Williams’ whole ad campaign on the Till movie is distasteful and disrespectful. It makes me wonder what the movie will be like #BlkTwitterstorians
— Jasmin H (@jhsting32) September 24, 2018
Williams, who is well known for his social activism, deleted the images from Twitter and Instagram. Yahoo Entertainment reached out to a representative for the actor for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Williams himself addressed the issue Tuesday in a lengthy Instagram post.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by jesse Williams (@ijessewilliams) on Sep 25, 2018 at 2:37pm PDT
[Editor’s note: This story was originally published Sept. 24, 2018 at 6:40 p.m. ET].
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