Oprah Features Breonna Taylor on the Cover of ‘O’ Magazine

Oprah Features Breonna Taylor on the Cover of ‘O’ Magazine

For the first time, Oprah Winfrey will not be on the cover of “O” magazine. The September issue features a digital image of Breonna Taylor.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Oprah Winfrey is using her platform and her famed magazine to shed light on the death of Breonna Taylor. A portrait of Taylor will appear on the cover of the September issue of “O, The Oprah Magazine,” Winfrey revealed on CBS This Morning and on social media Thursday.

“Breonna Taylor. She was like me. She was like you,” Winfrey said in an article published on the website of his magazine. “And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility, work, friends and laughter.”

In the articleWinfrey said she often thinks of Taylor and recently spoke to her mother, Tamika Palmer, about the loss.

Breonna Taylor died March 13 when three Louisville Metro Police officers entered her home using a no-knock warrant. Police say Taylor’s boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, fired at the officers and shot one of them in the leg. The officers returned fire, hitting Taylor repeatedly and killing her.

“Imagine if three unidentified men broke into your house while you were sleeping,” Winfrey said. “And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then chaos.”

On the heels of the nationally publicized murders of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, Taylor’s death has sparked protests in Louisville and across the country. Protesters are demanding justice for Taylor and punishment for LMPD officers involved in the incident.

RELATED: ‘Justice for Breonna Taylor’ Petition Receives Over 10 Million Signatures

One of the officers, Brett Hankison, was fired by the department. None of the officers have been charged with a crime.

“What I know for sure: we can’t stay silent,” Winfrey said. “We must use any megaphone to demand justice.”

In the article on the ‘O’ website, Winfrey encourages people to sign the Change.org petition, contact Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is handling the case, and use the hashtag #SayHerName on social media social.

This is the first time Winfrey won’t be on the cover of “O” magazine. The September issue will be available on August 11 and it will be one of the last magazines to be printed. O, The Oprah Magazine is ending its regular monthly print editions with the December 2020 issue after 20 years of publication.

Winfrey said the image of Taylor used for the cover was designed by 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin, who has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram.

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Amanda P. Whitten