Was Will Smith Protecting Black Women?

<p>During the 2022 Oscars’ ceremony, Will Smith shocked the world. Smith strode onstage and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/celebrities-react-will-smith-slap-chris-rock-oscars-2022-rcna21781" target="_blank">smacked</a> Chris Rock, after the comedian made a joke about Smith’s wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith went on to win the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Venus and Serena Williams’s father in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKP_0z52ZAw" target="_blank"><i>King Richard</i></a>, and later in the night he and Rock <a href="https://www.xxlmag.com/diddy-will-smith-chris-rock-slap-made-up/" target="_blank">reportedly made amends</a>.</p><p>When Smith was announced as the winner of the Oscar for Best Actor the audience gave him a standing ovation as he approached the stage. The first thing that he said in his tearful five-minute acceptance speech was that “Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” and he went on to talk about “protecting” the Black women who co-starred in <i>King Richard</i> with him.  </p><p>Since Sunday the internet has been abuzz with reaction. Commentators like <a href="https://twitter.com/Deggans?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank">Eric Deggans</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/1508410462068776965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1508410462068776965%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.yahoo.com%2Flifestyle%2Ftoday-host-craig-melvin-says-will-smiths-oscar-incident-is-troubling-for-men-of-color-160712626.html" target="_blank">Craig Melvin</a> have condemned Smith’s actions. But many saw an act of chivalry, with people like actress <a href="https://people.com/movies/oscars-2022-tiffany-haddish-responds-to-will-smith-chris-rock-smack/" target="_blank">Tiffany Haddish</a> and Congresswoman <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/reps-ayanna-pressley-jamaal-bowman-tweet-delete-defense-will-smiths-os-rcna21787" target="_blank">Ayanna