After 20 years, why Oprah Winfrey isn’t on her magazine cover
Not only does Oprah Winfrey dedicate her cover to Breonna Taylor, but she also wrote a powerful essay writing at length about the injustice of it all. (AP Photo / Tony Avelar, File)
For the first time in 20 years, Oprah Winfrey is not on the cover of her eponymous magazine, O, Oprah magazine. Instead, it introduces Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old African-American aspiring nurse who was shot and killed on March 13, 2020 after Louisville police broke into her apartment as part of a raid on drugs. However, no drugs were found on Taylor and she was pronounced dead on the spot.
Not only does Winfrey dedicate her cover to Taylor, but she also wrote a powerful essay writing at length about the injustice of it all.
#BreonnaTaylor for @oprahmagazine pic.twitter.com/dsG3zMHq0g
– Oprah Winfrey (@Oprah) July 30, 2020
“She was like me. She was like you. And like all those who die unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibilities, work, friends and laughter, ”she writes. “I often think of Breonna Taylor. She was the same age as the two girls at my school in South Africa who had been in quarantine with Stedman and me since March. In all of their conversations, I feel the promise of possibilities, ”she adds.
She concludes with: “Their whole life shines with a light of hope. It was taken away from Breonna in such a horrible way. Imagine if three unidentified men broke into your house while you were sleeping. And your partner shot a gun to protect you. And then the chaos. What I know for sure: we cannot be silent. We must use any megaphone to demand justice. And that’s why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O magazine. I demand justice on her behalf.
