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Jimmy Williams
In a packed convention hall in Chicago, media mogul and cultural icon Oprah Winfrey delivered a stirring speech that rallied Democrats behind Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for the 2024 election.
Held in the city where she spent decades hosting her legendary talk show, Winfrey urged Americans to unite and embrace a future of “decency and respect” under the leadership of Harris and Walz.
“This election isn’t about us and them,” Winfrey declared passionately. “It’s about you and me and what we want our futures to look like.”
Winfrey, who has long been involved in Democratic politics, made a compelling case for Harris and Walz as the candidates who can heal the nation’s divisions. “Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect,” she said, praising their leadership and ability to bring the country together.
However, the speech wasn’t without its moments of sharp critique. Winfrey took aim at former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, referencing Vance’s infamous 2021 comment about “childless cat ladies” running the Democratic Party.
With a knowing smile, Winfrey responded, “Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them.” She added, with a touch of humor, “And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too.”
Winfrey took the opportunity to highlight Harris’s incredible life journey, noting how the child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father rose to become a national leader. “At school and at home, somebody did a beautiful job showing this young girl how to challenge the people at the top and empower the people at the bottom,” Winfrey said. She energized the crowd further, adding, “Soon, and very soon, we’re going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child grew up to become the 47th president of the United States.”
This isn’t Winfrey’s first foray into political endorsements. She supported Joe Biden and Kamala Harris during the 2020 election and threw her weight behind key Democratic Senate candidates, such as Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, in 2022. But this speech went beyond mere endorsement, as Winfrey drew on history to connect Harris’s story to that of other trailblazing Black women.
Winfrey paid tribute to the late Tessie Prevost Williams, one of the “New Orleans Four,” a group of Black children who courageously integrated New Orleans schools in 1960. “[The New Orleans Four] broke barriers, and they paid dearly for it,” Winfrey said, recounting how Williams’ efforts paved the way for future generations. She connected this story to Harris’s own experience integrating public schools in Berkeley, California, reinforcing the deep historical legacy of Black women in the fight for progress.
“Kamala Harris stands on the shoulders of giants like Tessie Prevost Williams,” Winfrey concluded. “Their courage has brought us to this moment, and Harris and Walz will continue to lead us toward a future of justice, inclusion, and opportunity for all.”
The crowd in Chicago roared with approval, energized by Winfrey’s call for unity and hope, as the party gears up for a critical election year.
