Entertainment

Oprah invoked the story of a 24-year-old black woman, raped by six white men in 1944 on her way home from church, during her lifetime achievement speech

You may have never heard of Recy Taylor before the Golden Globes Awards, but Oprah Winfrey wants to make sure you know her name now.

Winfrey invoked Taylor’s story of racism and 𝓈ℯ𝓍ism during her passionate acceptance speech Sunday night for the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement.

Taylor, the black daughter of sharecroppers, was 24 years old when a group of six armed white men kidnapped and raped her in 1944 as she walked home from church in Abbeville, Alabama. Her assailants then left her blindfolded by the side of the road and “threatened to 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 her if she ever told anyone,” Winfrey told the Golden Globes audience.

But the young, married mother did tell someone what happened. Her story made its way to the NAACP, which assigned it to a young activist and investigator named Rosa Parks, who years later became a civil rights icon for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus.

Recy Taylor, shown here standing in front of the White House 2011, passed away last month at age 97.AP

Taylor’s case eventually went to trial. But in the Jim Crow era in the South, the all-white, all-male grand jury decided against indicting any of the men, even though one of them confessed.

Winfrey held up Taylor as an early example of the “Me Too” effort during the civil rights movement. Taylor died on Dec. 28, 2017, at the age of 97.

“She lived, as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men,” Winfrey said.

Taylor did live to see her story told in the documentary, “The Rape of Recy Taylor,” which was released last fall. The film detailed how the six suspects initially offered to pay Taylor $600 in hush money that she refused, prompting Parks to push the case to trial.

Winfrey drew a parallel between Taylor’s story and the stories many women in today’s world continue to face.

“For too long women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up!” Winfrey said. “I just hope that Recy Taylor died knowing that her truth, like the truth of so many other women who were tormented in those years, and even now tormented, goes marching on.”

 

 

Related Posts

Met Gala 2023: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas match in black-and-white ensembles in first as parents

Met Gala 2023: Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas match in black-and-white ensembles in their first trip to the Met Gala as parents   Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas looked amazing as…

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’s Sweet Moments with Malti in Australia Are Too Cute to Miss

Singer Nick Jonas flew from the US to Australia to visit his wife – Priyanka Chopra – while she was filming ‘The Bluff’. On Instagram, Priyanka Chopra shared…

Ryan Reynolds reveals his thoughts about wife’s friend, Taylor Swift, who is also the godmother of his and Blake Lively’s kids.

Ryan Reynolds has recalled a ‘sweet’ remark that Taylor Swift made about being godmother to his children with his wife Blake Lively. Blake, 37, married Ryan, 48, in 2012 and they have since…

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds reveal their relationship through what’s in their wardrobe.

Blake Lively is on the ascent, style wise, most recently on the arm of designer Michael Kors (and wearing his thigh-high slit white dress) at the CFDA Fashion Awards…

BREAKING NEWS : Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro Say Farewell to the U.S, “No Respect Here”

In a move that has sent shockwaves through both the entertainment and political worlds, Bruce Springsteen and Robert De Niro have announced they are leaving the United States…

Elon Musk Set To Unveil Diddy And Epstein’s Complete Client List On January 20th: ‘The Truth Must Come Out’

In a dramatic announcement that has sent shockwaves through social media and political circles alike, tech billionaire Elon Musk declared that he will unveil the full client list…