Oprah declares ‘ new day’ in campaign- like speech

Los Angeles: Oprah Winfrey on Sunday declared a “new day” for women and girls facing down abusive men as her powerful speech to the Golden Globe Awards stirred talk that she has a political future.

Within moments of the daytime television trailblazer’s remarks at the Hollywood gala, effusive fans called for her to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020, although she has given no indication she is interested.

The 63- year- old Winfrey, whose former talk show ushered in an era of confessional television and helped make her a billionaire, delivered a forceful but tightly focused speech that brought together issues of gender, poverty and race as she accepted a lifetime achievement award.

She saluted the # MeToo movement that has quickly gained steam after revelations of rampant sexual misconduct by film mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Paying tribute to Recy Taylor, an African American woman who daringly reported her 1944 gang rape by six white men in Alabama and died last month just short of her 98th birthday, Winfrey deplored “a culture broken by brutally powerful men.”

“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!” Winfrey said to a standing ovation and even some tears in the audience. “So I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon,” Winfrey said.

“And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women — many of whom are right here in this room tonight — and some pretty phenomenal men,” she said.