In a surprise appearance at the Democratic convention in Chicago, Oprah Winfrey delivered a powerful speech that rallied Democrats behind Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
The legendary TV host and producer energized the crowd, emphasizing the importance of unity and shared values in the upcoming election.
“This election isn’t about us and them. It’s about you and me and what we want our futures to look like,” Winfrey declared to the packed convention hall. She praised Harris and Walz, stating, “Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us decency and respect.”
Winfrey, who spent decades filming her iconic TV show in Chicago, also took the opportunity to criticize former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance.
Referencing Vance’s controversial 2021 remark about “childless cat ladies” running the Democratic Party, she quipped, “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… And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out too.”
Her speech also highlighted Harris’ life story and path to the Democratic nomination. “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, predicting, “Soon, and very soon, we’re going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father… grew up to become the 47th president of the United States.”
Winfrey, a long-time supporter of Democratic causes, also honored the legacy of leading Black women who paved the way for future generations. She shared the story of Tessie Prevost Williams, one of the “New Orleans Four” who integrated the New Orleans school system in 1960, linking Williams’ courage to Harris’ own experience of integrating public schools in Berkeley, California.
“Tessie passed away six weeks ago, and I tell the story to honor her tonight,” Winfrey said. “It was the grace and guts and courage of women like Tessie Prevost Williams that paved the way for another young girl, who nine years later became part of the second class to integrate the public schools in Berkeley, California.”
