Oprah Winfrey has been a juggernaut in the entertainment industry since her talk show became synonymous with emotional, revealing interviews with everyone from celebrities to everyday people who’ve “withstood the ugliest things life can throw at you”.
To honour her profound contribution to entertainment, she received the Cecil B.DeMille Award and explained what it felt like to see Sidney Poitier win an Oscar as a child.
“I’d never seen a black man being celebrated like that,” she said. “I’ve tried to explain many, many, many times what a moment like that means to a little girl watching from the cheap seats as my mum came through the door bon-tired from cleaning other people’s houses.”
“It is not lost on me that, at this moment, there is some little girl watching as I become the first black woman to be given the same award,” she added.
“It is an honour and it is a privilege to share the evening with all of them.”
She also acknowledged the president, although not in so many words.
“We all know the press is under siege these days, but we also know it is the insatiable dedication to uncover the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice,” she said to applause.
“To tyrants, to victims, to secrets and lies.”
Nor did the media mogul hesitate to acknowledge the sexual assault scandals plaguing Hollywood.
“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 to speak up and share their personal stories,” she gushed.
Her powerful speech came to an especially sombre moment when the 63-year-old remembered Recy Taylor, a black woman who never received justice after being abducted and gang-raped by six white men in Alabama.
In a rousing close, Winfrey assured sexual predator their “time is up”.
“I want all the girls watching to know 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, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they are the leaders to take us to the time where nobody has to say ‘me too’ again.”
