Breonna Taylor honored on September cover of O
For the first time in 20 years, Oprah Winfrey will not be on the cover of her O, The Oprah Magazine. Instead, she gives Breonna Taylor that honor.
The September cover pays tribute to 26-year-old Taylor, who was fatally shot by police when they stormed into her Louisville, Ky., home as she slept on March 13. She was shot eight times. No one has been charged in her death.
The magazine cover image was created by selftrained 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin.
In Oprah’s “What I Know for Sure” column, she writes about the decision to honor Breonna’s memory on the magazine’s cover:
“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 magazine.”
“I cry for justice in her name,” she said. Following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the protests that erupted around the world, Winfrey and the O team began discussions about how the magazine could help raise awareness of police brutality against Black Americans.
Across the world, people have posted photos and the phrase “Breonna Taylor. Say her name” on social media to demand justice be served in her case.
“I am so happy to play a small part in this longoverdue, world-changing narrative on racial injustice and police brutality,” Franklin said. “The original photo is one Breonna took herself and has been featured in the news many times. Looking at it, I see an innocence, simple but powerful. It was critical for me to retain that.”
On “CBS Morning News,” Winfrey said that if it weren’t for the COVID-19 pandemic, she’d be out protesting, too.
This week, the magazine also announced that it will be moving to a digitalfocused format after 20 years as a print magazine. The December 2020 issue will be the last regular monthly print edition. O is a Hearst magazine, which is owned by the same company, the Hearst Corp., as the Houston Chronicle.
“I’m proud of this team and what we have delivered to our readers over the past 20 years,” Winfrey said in a release. “I look forward to the next step in our evolution.”