Oprah Winfrey is the first Black woman to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award
My absolute favorite part of the 2018 Golden Globes thus far has been Oprah Winfrey’s acceptance speech for the Cecil B. DeMille Award. I mean, what isn’t to love? Winfrey looked absolutely stunning, and her heartwarming speech was spoken with power and elegance. And she was the first Black woman to be granted the prestigious award.
The moving speech started off with an introduction from A Wrinkle In Time actress Reese Witherspoon. Oprah then took the stage, beginning her oration with an anecdote about fellow awarded Black actor Sidney Poitier. She recalled how it felt to see a Black man receive the exact award she received on Sunday night’s Golden Globes. She spoke on the importance of seeing that at such a young age, while in the midst of a life of poverty.
“I’d never seen a Black man being celebrated like that. I tried very many times to explain what a moment like that means to a little girl, a kid watching from the cheap seats, as my mom came through the door bone-tired from cleaning other peoples’ houses.”
I can relate to how young Oprah felt. And as I sat on the sofa, wide-eyed and hopeful, I couldn’t help but feel encouraged by her words. To see a Black woman in her position receiving the highest honor of the night made me emotional — nearly to tears. It is nothing short of incredible that a poor, Black woman from the South rose through the ranks to become THE Oprah Winfrey.
"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!" -@Oprah
#GoldenGlobespic.twitter.com/lKJbTckJ4K
— Cocoa Butter (@cocoabutterbf) January 8, 2018
Hearing and seeing her tonight was the jolt of femme, Black kinetic energy that we needed to have a stellar 2018.
