In accepting an award for lifetime achievement, Oprah Winfrey did more than offer an uplifting speech geared toward the Hollywood elite gathered for the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards.
Winfrey presented a speech that could be regarded as a historic rallying cry in the women’s movement, notably in a post-Harvey Weinstein world in which women have become mobilized to fight sexual misconduct in American workplaces and demand equality in pay, opportunities and in having their voices heard and valued.
Winfrey said, “we all” have lived in a culture “broken by brutally powerful men.”
“For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men, but their time is up,” continued Winfrey, who became the first African-American woman to be honored with the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille award.
Winfrey’s “time is up” phrase was a reference to the Time’s Up initiative launched by prominent women in Hollywood to address sexual harassment in entertainment, politics, tech and other industries.
She said that the Time’s Up initiative wasn’t just launched to help privileged women in Hollywood gain access to better pay, opportunities and freedom from sexual harassment but to help women in all industries gain protections against abuse and oppression. That includes working-class women who struggle to support their families in various ways, such as Winfrey’s mother who worked as a cleaning woman.
In her speech, Winfrey also referenced Recy Taylor, a rural Alabama woman who in 1944 was kidnapped and raped by six white men. Two local grand juries refused to indict the men in the case, which drew the response of the NAACP and an investigator named Rosa Parks and inspired some of the first instances of protest and activism within the nascent Civil Rights movement.
Winfrey continued, “So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon. 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, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again.”
Winfrey’s speech immediately lit up Twitter with politicians, Hollywood figures, other prominent people and ordinary fans who expressed an appreciation for the speech, but also described a sense that Winfrey’s words could help change the national conversation.
Some also halfway joked, or wondered seriously, how Winfrey’s speech could launch her bid into politics — or even start her run for president in 2020.
California U.S. Senator Kamala Harris quoted Winfrey’s speech.
“A new day is on the horizon, and when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure they become the leaders that take us to the time when nobody ever has to say #MeToo again.” —@Oprah ✊🏾
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) January 8, 2018
Eric Bauman, chairman of the California Democratic Party, said the speech both made him cry and gave him hope that the women can “just be” in our society.
I have never been this impacted by the #GoldenGlobes lo these many years. @Oprah made me cry, she gave me hope that the time is upon us when women can “just be” in our society… no fear, no retribution, no being forced into silence or closets. My mother would be kvelling. B”H!
— EricBauman (@EricBauman) January 8, 2018
Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard called Winfrey’s speech “the most extraordinary and inspiring moment” he had ever seen at an awards show.
Probably the most extraordinary & inspiring moment I’ve ever witnessed at an award show. I had to dry my eyes before presenting the director’s award right after @Oprah ‘s speech. https://t.co/ItULXMJAkY
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) January 8, 2018
Former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson called Winfrey a “great example to many.”
.@Oprah you are a true role model and a great example to so many. Congratulations again on this well deserved honor!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 8, 2018
Radio journalist Michelle Norris and former host of National Public Radio’s All Things Considered praised the execution of the speech:
Another word about that @Oprah #GoldenGlobe speech. The execution was a thing to behold. The cadence. The way she raised her voice while lowering her octave two minutes in. The way she stood fully inside the words. Master class. And yes, just class
— Michele Norris (@michele_norris) January 8, 2018
Singer Mariah Carey, a presenter at the Golden Globes Sunday night, called Winfrey “an incredible role model.”
Congratulations @Oprah! You are an incredible role model. Thank you for your inspiring and moving words and for everything you have done for me personally. You have changed my life. ❤
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) January 8, 2018
As for Winfrey’s political aspirations, Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman said she asked Winfrey’s longtime boyfriend if she would ever consider running for president. The response:
I asked Stedman if @oprah would run for President. “It’s up to the people. She would absolutely do it.” https://t.co/rAficpB060
— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) January 8, 2018
