Michelle Williams’ Golden Globes Speech Is Getting The Side-Eye From Black Folks
Michelle Williams’ intentions during her Golden Globes speech calling on women to vote in the 2020 election may have been good, but they missed the mark, according to some.
While accepting the award for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for her role as Gwen Verdon in Fosse/Verdon, Williams made an impassioned plea for women to “vote in your own self interest” — a notion that many pointed out is complex and problematic.
After thanking the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and speaking for a bit about a woman’s right to choose abortion, she concluded her speech by telling women: "18 to 118, when it is time to vote, please do so in your own self interest. It's what men have been doing for years, which is why the world looks so much like them. Don't forget, we are the largest voting body in this country. Let's make it look more like us."
There was plenty of applause in the room and on Twitter, mostly from white feminists:
But Black folks were quick to point out that white women in the last election did vote in their own self-interest. What Williams failed to recognize is that many white women benefit from upholding white supremacy, even if it means people of color (including the 96% of Black women who have consistently voted in their own self interest and against Trump and other Republicans) will suffer.
Here are some tweets that should enlighten Michelle Williams, and hopefully encourage her to direct her speeches specifically toward the 53% of white women who voted for Donald Trump:
It was bold of Williams to use her platform to speak up, but hopefully she’ll be more targeted with her words next time.
