Jesse Williams recently learned the importance of thoughtful and ethical promotion when he was immediately dragged across social media for posting photos of Emmett Till and his mother.

His approach: use the sore images in the form of the template of Nike's now widely popular black-and-white ad in an effort to promote his new film.

The actor and activist's apparent attempt at garnering praise for his feature film directorial debut where, according to Deadline, he will cinematically explore the aftermath of Till's murder, fell flat.

The then 14-year-old boy was infamously murdered by white men for allegedly whistling at a white woman who, years later, renounced her story.

Unlike previous projects that explored the teenager's life, Williams' will show his journey through the lens of his mother, Mamie Mobley Till, as she seeks justice for her son's unjust killing.

"I'm honored to be directing the story of Mamie and Emmett: a tale of revolutionary defiance in the face of tremendous personal and public devastation," he said. "An exploration of power and pulling back the curtain on cultural violence; of boyhood and maternity challenging America's reflex to hide from itself; underdogs refusing to pretend that terror is freedom."

While his intentions appear to be noble, his approach at revealing the news to the world left a sour taste in the mouth of many. One of the numerous meme-like posts featured an image of Till's mother weeping over his casket. It was supported by the caption, "Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything."

Take a look at the tone-deaf approach to unveiling the project, below: