Oprah's powerful #MeToo speech lights up the Golden Globes
The speech by the philanthropist has us asking - do we even deserve her as a potential president?
Last Sunday night, the one and only Oprah Winfrey received the Cecil B. DeMille award at this year's Golden Globes - making her the first Black woman to be honored with the same prestige, ever.
That's not the only thing that's been making the speech so historically groundbreaking. The philanthropist has been rumored to be thinking of a 2020 Presidential campaign. According to CNN, "Two friends, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely, talked in the wake of Winfrey's extraordinary speech at the Golden Globes Sunday night, which spurred chatter about a 2020 run. Some of Winfrey's confidants have been privately urging her to run, the sources said." The question is - do we even deserve to ask Oprah to save us as our next president?
Everyone who has social media seems to have an opinion on the matter. "Oprah Winfrey's speech embodied the best traditions of American oratory," tweeted Dan Rather. "It rang with moral clarity rooted in a march towards justice. Not blind to the distance we have traveled and the distance yet to go. It inspired — but cautioned progress will take work. This is what unites us." There are think-pieces circulating that have been eloquently reminding us why we don't, and will never, deserve to ask Oprah to fix the mess we've made ourselves. "Asking Oprah to run for president is a recognition of her intelligence, her kindness, her resilience. There is no denying that she is the exact kind of person we'd all want to see more of in politics. But in calling her in post-Trump, as some form restorative justice is a copout, a shirking of responsibility, and a disservice to her legacy," writes Chaia Mascall. "It's not that Oprah couldn't be president but that she shouldn't have to be."
Representatives for Winfrey have not responded to comment on whether or not this is a potential future for her. The same CNN source stated that conversations were had months back, and she has not yet made up her mind on the matter. As recently as October, Winfrey told CBS This Morning host Gayle King, "There will be no running for office of any kind."
Nothing changes the fact that the speech was so moving it brought the entire room of actors to their feet - it is worth reading in full, but in a memorable moment, Oprah addressed the crowd before her: "I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association because we all know the press is under siege these days. We also know it's the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice. To -- to tyrants and victims, and secrets and lies. I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times, which brings me to this: what I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have. And I'm especially proud and inspired by all 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 that we tell, and this year we became the story."
Vanessa is a music and culture writer. Follow her on twitter.
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