How Grey's Anatomy Star Jesse Williams Made a Positive Mark on 2016
:upscale()/2016/11/11/041/n/1922398/672a2b1158265b848c5ae1.57903205_edit_img_cover_file_42693405_1478821260.jpg)
It's hard not to be smitten by Jesse Williams. Besides being insanely good-looking, the 35-year-old Grey's Anatomy star has emerged as one of the leading voices for social activism during a year filled with political unrest. In 2016, Jesse spoke out against racial, gender, and economic inequality, and called on us all to do our part to make a change. While we can never get tired of staring at Jesse on screen, here are seven times Jesse Williams stole our hearts this year for being beautiful on the inside, too.
:upscale()/2016/11/11/918/n/1922398/a61f37fe353be28d_GettyImages-543243250.jpg)
When He Delivered a Powerful Speech at the BET Awards
Jesse's moving speech at the 2016 BET Awards in June was one of the most talked about moments from the show. The Humanitarian Award honoree was applauded for eloquently tapping into the minds and hearts of the country to call for a need to address racism and police brutality head on.
When He Responded to That Grey's Anatomy Petition With This Sexy Selfie
After his rousing speech at the BET Awards, Jesse faced backlash from some who felt it had an antipolice message. There was a petition created requesting he be removed from Grey's Anatomy, but showrunner Shonda Rhimes put a lid on it, tweeting, "Um, people? Boo don't need a petition. #shondalandrules." Thankfully Jesse remained on the show for its 13th season and posted this sexy selfie in August to prove it.
When He Partnered With Scholly to Help Make Education Affordable
In September, Jesse was proud to announce his partnership with Scholly, a mobile app which curates scholarships in one place to make it easier for students to find financial aid and attend the college of their choice.
When He Visited the White House to Chat With the Senior Education Advisor
Later that month, Jesse continued his efforts to improve education by taking a trip to the White House. There, he spoke with senior education adviser Roberto Rodriguez about how to come up with creative solutions to the many challenges students face today.
When He Raised Awareness For the Water Crisis in Flint, MI
For over two years, Flint, MI, has been dealing with a water crisis. In February, Jesse used his celebrity status to raise money for the cause and help bring clean water to the city during a #JusticeForFlint charity event.
When He Urged Millennials to Come Together After the Election Results
After the November 2016 presidential election ended in a surprising victory for Donald Trump, Jesse called on voters to channel their disappointment into constructive action. "Come together. Construct. Be creative," he wrote in a tweet which now has over 62,000 retweets and 101,000 likes.
When He Launched His Ebroji App
2016 wasn't all serious business for Jesse Williams. In January, the actor and his wife Aryn Drakelee-Williams launched their fun Ebroji app, described as a GIF keyboard which allows users to send animated images in text messages.
At Complex Con in November, Jesse revealed the inspiration for Ebroji came from not seeing any emoji with brown faces. "We said, 'let's try to create categories that feel like us.'" The mission statement for the Ebroji app says it's inclusive to "Brown, trans, ALL, people." Beautiful, indeed.