It’s the first time Oprah is not on the cover of O, the Oprah Magazine and it’s for a good reason. The talk show host is giving the cover to Breonna Taylor.
Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman, was fatally shot in the early morning hours of March 13 when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. The warrant to search her home was in connection with a suspect who did not live there and no drugs were found inside.
The shooting set off weeks of protests, policy changes and a call for the officers who shot Taylor to be criminally charged. One officer has been fired, but no charges have been filed.
Oprah said this about why she chose to spotlight Taylor: “Breonna Taylor. She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter. I think about Breonna Taylor often. Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem. What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O, the Oprah Magazine. The September issue honors her life and the life of every other Black woman whose life has been taken too soon.”
Take a look at the cover below thanks to Alexis Franklin.
#BreonnaTaylor for our September cover. pic.twitter.com/yyulcONtgv
— O The Oprah Magazine (@oprahmagazine) July 30, 2020
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