Jesse Williams never considered acting his true passion — it was just something he liked to do for fun.

Now, Williams plays the recurring role of Dr. Jackson Avery on the hit television show “Grey’s Anatomy,” but he is also well known for his social justice activism, particularly on social media. Williams spoke to Syracuse University students and faculty on Sunday in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium about his life and issues in society.

The event, “More Than Meets the Eye,” was hosted by the Syracuse University chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists and sold out in less than five hours when tickets went on sale March 16.

The Chicago-born television star is popularly known for his outspoken activism on Twitter, and can be seen on news outlets CNN and MSNBC discussing national topics, such as the racial tensions in Ferguson, Missouri following Michael Brown being shot by a white police officer.

“How sad is it that telling the truth about stuff that is flagrantly in front of all of us — that makes me controversial?” Williams asked the crowd.

Williams hobbled onto the stage with one crutch in his hand due to a torn ACL and other knee problems that came from playing in this year’s NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in February. After settling into his seat, he expressed his concerns with the way African-Americans are treated in the media, and reflected on his own experience as a biracial actor.

A popular moment in Williams’ talk was when he discussed the need for children to be taught about the role that minorities and black Americans played in history. The audience members snapped and vigorously nodded their heads in agreement as he said adults and the media set examples for children, so learning about just one group of people doesn’t benefit anyone.

“The first six auditions I went on were to be street thugs robbing white people. You have no say in this matter. You are a beggar, and beggars can’t be choosers,” Williams said. “I find a staggering amount of material in scripts and shows I want that are unnecessarily racist.”

Williams said a lot of the roles he auditioned for when he was starting off in the field portrayed black men in a negative light. He said these situations perpetuate stereotypes in society, especially to the younger generation.

Charisse L’Pree Corsbie-Massay, the faculty adviser for the SU NABJ chapter and an assistant professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, said NABJ has a history of having great speakers come to Newhouse who leave a lasting impression on students.

“I think (Williams) offers a really unique voice in the intersection of entertainment and social justice. Often when we think about social justice we think about it as its own entity, as ‘Oh, who’s doing that?’” L’Pree Corsbie-Massay said. “But, rather, it should be everybody’s responsibility and I think he demonstrates, quite expertly, how to integrate your own passions with social justice.”

Wayne Smith III, the president of the Syracuse NABJ chapter and a senior information management and technology major, said it was bittersweet that this was the last event he led for the organization. Smith considered it a huge success, and hoped that future events will be just as popular.

“We try to think outside the box for what it means to be a black journalist or be in a black community,” Smith said. “Jesse Williams is an actor, and most people know that about him, but he also does a lot of activism online, so that that just feeds into our message.”

At the end of the discussion, Williams took questions from Twitter that the audience sent in using #NABJ2Jesse. He encouraged students who come from poorer neighborhoods to stand up and help expose their daily lives to those who haven’t experienced it and may not understand. Williams said students have a responsibility to “not f*ck up” and to share the truth about the situations they grew up in.

Said Williams: “What are you doing now? What are you preparing to do? That’s all that matters.”

Published on March 22, 2015 at 5:43 pm

Contact Jackie: jmfrere@syr.edu | @jackie_frere