title:  Racists Try To Fire Actor For Saying Black Lives Matter, Most Powerful Woman In TV Shuts ‘Em Down
text: Racists and conservatives were very angry that Grey s Anatomy actor Jesse Williams called out racial inequality after receiving a humanitarian award at the recent BET Awards ceremony. In his speech, Williams explained who the award was really for: Now, this award, this is not for me,  he said. This is for the real organizers all over the country, activist civil rights attorneys, the parents, the teachers, the students who are realizing that a system built to divide and impoverish and destroy us cannot stand if we do. All right?  he explained.  It s kind of basic mathematics, the more we learn about who we are and how we got here, the more we will mobilize. Despite its peaceful yearning for racial understanding, for some reason conservatives and racists were set off by the speech. An online petition was launched, asking that Williams be fired from his position on the TV show, and said he  spewed a racist, hate speech against law enforcement and white people at the BET awards.  The petition creator, Erin Smith, compared the speech to racist outbursts from TV personality Paula Deen and a homophobic rant from actor Isaiah Washington.But Shonda Rhimes, the creator and producer of Grey s Anatomy, who has been called the most powerful woman in television, did not bow to the online mob.The ShondaLand producer fired back Monday night at a 7,000 signature-strong Change.org petition calling for ABC to ax Williams   who plays hunky Dr. Jackson Avery on the doctor drama   in light of his much-praised speech inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Um, people? Boo don t need a petition. #shondalandrules,  Rhimes tweeted.Rhimes has used her programs to advocate for racial and gender equality, and her programs have been a ratings bonanza for ABC. She currently has four programs on the air; in addition to Grey s they are Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Catch. She also previously produced Private Practice.Conservatives freaked out previously over an episode of Scandal that showed Kerry Washington s lead character getting an abortion, which has often been a taboo on broadcast prime time TV.Featured image via Flickr