AT THIS YEAR’S Golden Globes, Oprah Winfrey was presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which is an honorary Golden Globe presented to individuals who have made “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.”
The first African American man to receive this award was Sidney Poitier in 1982, and the first African American woman to receive the award was Oprah Winfrey, just last night.
After 42 seconds of solid applause, Winfrey accepted her well-deserved award.
The first thing she did when she got on stage was tell the audience and viewers at home how amazed she was in 1964 when she saw Sidney Poitier receive his first Oscar.
I had never seen a black man being celebrated like that. I have tried many, many, many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl, a kid, watching from the cheap seats, as my mom came through the door bone-tired from cleaning other people’s houses.
Oprah continued:
It is not lost on me that at this moment, there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award. It is an honour. It is a privilege to share the evening with all of them.
She then went on to applaud the ‘insatiable dedication’ the media have had towards uncovering the absolute truth. Winfrey said this has prevented us from turning a blind eye to corruption and injustice.
What I know for sure, is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.
Applauding those who broke the silence, Oprah said:
I’m especially proud and inspired by all of the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories we tell. This year, we became the story.
Oprah then became one of the few people in Hollywood who have acknowledged the problem of sexual harassment and abuse outside of the entertainment industry from a place of sincere concern.
In many cases, we see celebrities deflecting from the issue of sexual harassment in their industries by saying “It’s a problem in every walk of life. It’s not just Hollywood.” Of course this is true, but few seem interested in doing anything about it.
Oprah told the audience:
It’s not just a story that’s affecting the entertainment industry. It’s one that transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics or workplace. So, I want tonight, to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue.
They are the women whose names we will never know. They are domestic workers and farm workers. They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and they’re in academia and engineering and medicine and science. They’re part of the world of tech and politics and business. They are athletes in the Olympics and soldiers in the military.
Oprah then went on to tell the story of Recy Taylor, a black woman who was kidnapped by six armed white men on the way home from church in 1944, before being raped. Rosa Parks became the lead investigator on Recy’s case and the two women worked together to try and get justice. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Oprah drew attention to the fact that Recy died on the 28th of December 2017.
She lived, as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed as they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up.
I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon. When that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women – many of whom are in this room tonight – and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody has to ever say “me too” again.
Some audience members were seen in tears following Oprah’s speech and many took to Twitter to applaud the 63-year-old.
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