Oprah Winfrey arrives with the Cecil B. DeMille Award in the press room during The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. AFP
Oprah Winfrey on Sunday declared a “new day” for women and girls facing down abusive men as she delivered a stirring speech at the Golden Globes.
Accepting a lifetime achievement award at the Hollywood gala, the Oscar-nominated actress and daytime television trailblazer saluted the #MeToo movement that has quickly gained steam after revelations of rampant sexual misconduct by film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
Paying tribute to Recy Taylor, an African American woman who daringly reported her 1944 gang rape by white men and died last month just short of her 98th birthday, Winfrey deplored “a culture broken by brutally powerful men.”
“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! Their time is up!” Winfrey said to a standing ovation and even some tears in the audience.
“So I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon,” Winfrey said.
“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,” she said.
The 63-year-old Winfrey — whom Golden Globes host Seth Meyers half-jokingly quipped could be the candidate to beat President Donald Trump in 2020 — also hailed the role of the often-maligned media.
“It’s the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice,” she said.
“I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times.”