Updated January 20, 2023 at 2:45 p.m:
A Change.org petition has been started by user UnBiased UnBossed calling for Waymond Wesley to be fired. The description reads:
“Before rebranding himself, Prosecutor Waymond Wesley, aka Chef Way, went by the name of ‘Waymo The God’ on twitter. Over the span of several years, according to multiple Twitter users whom were Black women, Waymo The God, racially-harassed, and belittled them via retweets, direct messages, and posts...Kim Ogg, the DA for Harris County, indicated in a statement that she supports Wesley. Ogg said, ‘I believe in second chances.’ Nobody, including Black men, with a history of Wesley’s should be allowed to practice law in a prosecutorial position while having a history of domestic terrorism towards a specific group which was Black women.”
It has amassed nearly 6,000 (the goal is to receive 7,500 total).
Original Post:
Waymond Wesley, the assistant district attorney in Houston, has somehow garnered the support of his office after a string of his past sexist and colorist tweets have resurfaced. Wesley made the posts in 2015 and 2016 shortly before he became a part of the DA’s office in 2021. Not only did they viciously attack Black women, but they were specifically directed at dark skinned Black women.
One post included cropping a dark skinned Black woman out of a picture with a lighter skinned Black woman and commenting that the former “messed up the pic.” Other tweets included: “darkskin heauxs get NO LOVE from me,” “lightskin women can do no wrong” and “all lightskin goddesses deserve breakfast in bed this cold ass morning...you darkskin heauxs should be out shoveling.”
Sadly, there are many more examples of his heinous remarks. One of the most disturbing was about the death of Sandra Bland, the Black woman who allegedly died by suicide in her jail cell three days after a traffic stop arrest in 2015. According to the screenshots, he wrote: “If black lives mattered to Sandra Bland, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. I’m serious too.”
Wesley, who also goes by Chef Way on TikTok in which he shares some popular recipes, “apologized” for his past comments on Twitter by stating:
“To those I’ve hurt with my past tweets that have resurfaced, I am deeply sorry. That was a moment in my life where I was sick in more ways than one. Cooking saved me. You have watched a flawed man heal. I will continue to heal and learn. Thanks for being along for the journey.”
The thing is that the vitriol he spewed at dark skinned Black women—which even included insults directed at a young Black woman who was in high school at the time—is deeply embedded in who he is. That can’t be “fixed” by cooking. Also, the fact that Wesley—a Black man who isn’t light skinned—felt the need to prop up light skinned Black women every chance he got is self-hatred at its finest.
Dark skinned Black women don’t exist to be a part of someone’s “healing journey.” Wesley’s disgusting words should have real, tangible repercussions—especially because he is now in a position of power. If he treats dark skinned Black people this poorly online, just imagine how he will treat them in a court of law.
However, District Attorney Kim Ogg believes that Wesley is a changed man and plans to keep him on her team. In a statement, she explained:
“Waymond Wesley joined our office in March of 2021. We recently learned of comments he made on social media posts nearly seven years ago. These posts were inappropriate and offensive and do not reflect my values or those of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Mr. Wesley has explained that these posts came during a period in which he was struggling with serious personal issues, including alcohol addiction. Prior to joining our office, Mr. Wesley went through treatment and has worked with the State Bar of Texas to resolve his issues. His recovery is ongoing. I am a believer in second chances, and Mr. Wesley has conducted himself professionally since joining our staff. I am confident that will continue.”
Would he receive the same support from the District Attorney’s office if he made offensive remarks about white women—or any other group of women for that matter? The fact that Wesley won’t face consequences for his behavior serves as a sad reminder we live in a society that will continue to disregard the humanity of Black women.