Sunday night's BET Awards were a triumph. If one were to pick out a single highlight, it would likely be actor/activist Jesse Williams' speech on racism, police brutality, and black empowerment as he received the Humanitarian Award.
The speech received a standing ovation from the crowd and praise from those following the ceremony on Twitter. Among those who praised Williams was 8-time BET Award nominee Justin Timberlake.
Huffington Post writer Ernest Owens had a bone to pick with JT, and he used the opportunity to call him out for misappropriation of black culture.
“So does this mean you’re going to stop appropriating our music and culture? And apologize to Janet too,” he wrote.
Timberlake responded in a manner some deemed condescending/ignorant. “Oh, you sweet soul. The more you realize that we are the same, the more we can have a conversation. Bye.”
JT's comment set off a minor Twitter uproar and Timberlake elaborated on his controversial comment, asserting that he felt "misunderstood" and apologizing to those he'd offended. Read his response below.
https://twitter.com/_/status/747273043379052544
https://twitter.com/_/status/747276674073395200
https://twitter.com/_/status/747300505492168704
https://twitter.com/_/status/747301107697803269
https://twitter.com/_/status/747301466155581441
https://twitter.com/_/status/747308645826756609
