New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, the United States’ first elected official with Tourette syndrome, released a video on Monday night in which he expressed disappointment that BAFTA did not better support all parties involved in the N-word debacle: Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and John Davidson.
“I have Tourette syndrome, diagnosed more than 30 years ago,” Williams says in the clip. “You might be able to tell I’m also a very proud Black man. I also have Coprolalia, which means I sometimes tic socially unacceptable words, including the N-word.”
Williams goes on to say that the incident on Sunday — in which Davidson, Tourette’s activist and the subject of the nominated film “I Swear,” shouted the N-word while “Sinners” stars Jordan and Lindo were presenting an award on stage— was mishandled. (The BAFTAs aired in the U.K. on Sunday with a two-hour delay, edited in real-time. The version that was broadcast edited out a winner saying “Free Palestine” and Paul Thomas Anderson using the word “piss,” but the racial slur remained.)
“BAFTA should have done a lot more to explain what is going to happen before and after,” he said. “Definitely should have provided more care for Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo so they had the information they needed and they themselves could have explained what was going on.
“BAFTA could have censored the damn thing,” he continued. “You had time to censor it and provide more information about what you were censoring and why.”
Williams urges people to have compassion for Davidson, emphasizing that he has no control over his tics and had every right to attend a ceremony where a movie about his life was being celebrated. “It’s important to remember that it’s not just a lack of a filter. It’s an involuntary compulsion, whether it’s vocal or body movements. … It can be harmful to yourself if you’re … trying to hold in tics. You hold it in and it comes out worse later.”
He understands the anger and pain the word causes, and added, “We have to make sure we’re … putting the anger in the right places but also providing empathy and care for everyone that’s involved. And I believe that was dropped when it came to Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo. Shout out to them. Sadly, Black people have to know how to have poise in so many situations just so they can survive.”
