During Sunday’s 75th Golden Globes Awards, Oprah Winfrey accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award and delivered perhaps the most timely and inspirational speech in the history of the show. (OK, I know that sounds hyperbolic, but come on! It’s Oprah!)
“It is not lost on me that at this moment, there are some little black girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given this same award,” she said, after speaking of the impact Sidney Poitier’s Oscar win had on her as a child.
She then told the story of Recy Taylor, a mother who sparked civil rights activism after she was abducted and raped by a group of white men in 1944. Taylor died 10 days ago, and Oprah dedicated the award to her legacy. “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,” she said. She then turned her focus to the night’s “Time’s Up” movement.
“For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up.
“I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon,” she continued. “And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight.”
