Jesse Williams faces backlash after promoting upcoming film about Emmett Till's mother with Nike meme

Jesse Williams seems to be rethinking the social media marketing campaign for his upcoming film.

The Grey’s Anatomy star was eager to announce Monday that he’ll be making his directorial debut with Till. The movie tells the story of Mamie Till Mobley, the mother of Emmett Louis Till, the 14-year-old black teen who was lynched after being accused of flirting with a white woman in the South in 1955. Mobley insisted that his casket be open at his funeral, a move credited with sparking the civil rights movement. The film is based on Keith A. Beauchamp’s 2005 documentary, The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till, which led the United States Department of Justice to reopen the Till case in 2004.

Till is expected to begin production next summer, with Whoopi Goldberg set to produce and act in the project.

Williams shared the exciting news along with a series of images of Mamie Till accompanied by the slogan, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” The tagline is from Nike’s recent “Just Do It” campaign starring Colin Kaepernick.

Many found the use of the Nike message to be disrespectful.

Williams, who is well known for his social activism, deleted the images from Twitter and Instagram. Yahoo Entertainment reached out to a representative for the actor for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Williams himself addressed the issue Tuesday in a lengthy Instagram post.

[Editor’s note: This story was originally published Sept. 24, 2018 at 6:40 p.m. ET].

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