Jumaane Williams' Powerful "I'm Not Okay" Speech At The August 28, 2020 March On Washington (video & transcript)

NowThisNews, August 28, 2020

‘We are also America. We are the better America. We are the patriots.’ — Listen to NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams’ powerful speech at the 2020 March on Washington.

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In US news and current events today, the March on Washington 2020 is currently a focal point for the Black Lives Matter movement, as thousands converge on Washington DC to protest for equality and racial justice and against police brutality. In this Jumaane Williams speech, the NYC New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams delivers a stirring rebuttal to the hate and division sown by those in power....

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides information about New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and showcases my unofficial transcript of Jumaane Williams "No, I'm Not Okay" speech that he gave during the August 28, 2020 March On Washington rally. That event in part commemorates the August 28, 1963 March On Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave hi "I Have A Dream" speech. 

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The content of this post is presented for cultural, political, and inspirational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Jumaane Williams for his political and cultural legacy. Thanks also to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

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INFORMATION ABOUT JUMAANE WILLIAMS
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumaane_Williams
"Jumaane D. Williams ... (joo-MAH-nee; born May 11, 1976) is an American politician who has served as the New York City Public Advocate since 2019. He formerly served as a member of the New York City Council from the 45th district, which includes East Flatbush, Flatbush, Flatlands, Marine Park, and Midwood in Brooklyn.

A member of the Democratic Party and a self-described democratic socialist,[2] he served as Deputy Leader of the New York City Council and Chair of the Task Force on City Workforce Equity. A candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York in 2018, Williams was elected New York City Public Advocate in the 2019 special election to complete the term of Letitia James, who resigned to become Attorney General of New York.[3][4]

Early life and education

Williams' parents, Greg and Patricia Williams,[5] are from St. Andrew, Grenada. His father was a footballer and cricketer who represented the students of Grenada Boys Secondary School (GBSS) before moving to the U.S. to study medicine.[6] He has a brother.[7]

He is an alumnus of Brooklyn Technical High School. He then attended Brooklyn College, earning a B.A. in political science in 2001 and an M.A. in urban policy and administration in 2005.[8]”…

No, I’m not okay: NYC’s public advocate on why he’ll keep protesting to afflict the comfortable

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TRANSCRIPT OF JUMAANE WILLIAMS' "NO, I'M NOT OKAY" (August 28, 2020 March On Washington)

[The embedded YouTube video of Jumaane Williams' August 28, 2020 speech is close captioned.

This is my transcription of that close captioning. Additions and corrections are welcome.]

"Everybody say "I'm not ok".

[Everyone says "I'm not ok".]

Just the Black folks in the crowd, say "I'm not ok".

[The Black people in the crowd say "I'm not ok."

I wanna give space for everybody, but especially our Black folks to say they're not ok.  Because too often, the trauma we have, after seeing these videos We're still required to go to work and pretend like nothing has happened.

For too often, Black women are scared to speak up because of white fragility and white tears.

So I wanna make sure I give the space for Black folks to say they are not ok.

Now, when I open the history books, I see throngs of people celebrating a tyrant, celebrating people who are trying to destroy entire communities by division. In Nazi Germany, I saw that.

I'm not ok because the past 4 days in the Republican National Convention I saw the same thing. We see people who are praising bigotry, who are praising division, who are praising this president  who shouldn't be president, and I'm not ok with that.

Almost 60 years ago, Dr. King spoke right here. But some people need to keep his name outta their mouths because they don't understand what he was talking about.

He talked about the dream but he also talked about he was scared of the nightmare. This is the nightmare.

60 years ago he was here talking about jobs and justice. I'm here with my step-daughter still talking about the same damn thing. We only added more names to the death toll and more hashtags.

But American is about bigotry. America is about those things and it always has been. So we can't pretend like we have to say, we have to pretend that 's not who America is.

When they talk about law and order. When they talk about the American way of life- we've heard those things to defend slavery, to defend segregation, to put Japanese [in] internment camps. We've heard all those things to do the worse of us.

But I tell you what- We are also America. We are the better America.

We are the patriots.

We are like Sophie Troll* and the White Rose in Germany. 

We are like Dr. King and Malcolm X. 

We are like the nameless grandmothers who got in the street and said "We will force America to be who she says she is."   

So be proud that you are here.

Be proud that you were in this time because they are looking back at us from history and our children are saying "Do not forget about us, remember us".

Our job is to push forth a better society that we came from.

Nobody here-black, white, or brown is responsible for the system of garbage privilege that we have.

But all of us are responsible for the system that we put forth.

If you are supporting donald trump, you are either a racist, a bigot, a homophobe, a transphobe, or you don't care if you support one. Both of those things are terrible.

Public safety means people have access to housing, education, and jobs, and good schools, and good food. When the communities have those things they don't need policing. So don't twist our words about defund the police. 

The same communities say "We need police" but they also say "Where is our housing? Where is our educational system? Where are our jobs we have been asking for for decades?" Hear them when they ask those things as well.

We are here.

We are not going away anywhere.   

We are the true America.

We will force you to live up to what you say you are.

Everybody say "I'm going to vote".

[The crowd says: "I'm going to vote"]

Everybody say "I'm going to fill out the census." 

[The crowd says: "I'm going to fill out the census"]

I know Biden and Harris ain't what all of us wanted. But, damn it, they ain't trump. And we have to get out of this existential crisis and then do, we'll deal with them.

Peace and blessings, everyone.

But remember, we are the true America.

Don't be bashful when you say "We are the true America."

We're going to push back.

White fragility is a hell of a thing. But they are frightened because of the system they have in place is crumbling before them.

Peace and blessings. 
 -snip-
"Sophie Troll" is probably a  misstatement for "Sophie Turner". Click  "https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a32796644/sophie-turner-response-black-lives-matter-troll/ for a June 2020 article entitled "Sophie Turner's spot on response to troll who questioned why she's protesting. The actress attended a Black Lives Matter demonstration in LA"

-snip- 

Click https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-no-im-not-okay-20200606-6dnsnrnqxrg7nm64gsrxhpfdba-story.html for another version of Jumaane Williams’ “No, I’m Not Okay” speech that he wrote as an Opinion article in the New York Daily News (June 6, 2020).

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