Oprah Winfrey, in promoting her new film Selma this week, contrasted the civil rights protests of the 60s with modern-day protests over the cases of Michael Brown and Eric Garner by saying the latter so far lacks leadership.
Winfrey argued that the best way to bring about change is “strategic, peaceful intention,” and explained what she believes is lacking from the police protests:
“It’s wonderful to march and to protest and it’s wonderful to see all across the country people doing it, but what I am really looking for is some type of leadership to come out of this to say, ‘This is what we want. This is what has to change, and these are the steps that we need to take to make these changes, and this is what we’re willing to do to get it.'”
Some protesters haven’t been particularly happy with those comments from Winfrey:
. @Oprah people have been to the White House and Geneva United Nations but we're from the ghetto we organized these moves that's leadership
— Tef Poe/FootKlan (@TefPoe) January 2, 2015
.@Oprah is looking for leadership to come out of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.
"Strong people don't need strong leaders." -Ella Baker
— Occupy Wall Street (@OccupyWallStNYC) January 2, 2015
Once again a Black 'celebrity' shows just how out of touch they are. So, while @oprah searches for an outdated leadership model, #weworkin.
— BrownBlaze (@brownblaze) January 2, 2015
Oprah thinks Iyanla is a healer and that Dr.Phil was a health professional. Her endorsements of "leadership" are not necessarily valuable
— DarkSkintDostoyevsky (@daniecal) January 2, 2015
Oprah is losing me more-and-more. If she thinks today's movement has no leadership, she obviously isn't paying attention to @BYP_100.
— PrestonMitchum (@PrestonMitchum) January 3, 2015
Oprah's waiting for Ferguson leadership. I'm waiting for her to use a penny of her Black-generated billions to help Black people in the USA.
— Amadi (@amaditalks) January 2, 2015
Oprah can have every seat in the entirety of Cook County. You want leadership? You have money, power & a giant media presence. SHOW SOME.
— Amadi (@amaditalks) January 2, 2015
Respectfully, @oprah, we've had enough of that. You don't see "leadership" b/c frankly, it seems you don't know what leadership looks like.
— Charles Wade (@akacharleswade) January 2, 2015
It seems, @Oprah, u're used to cheerleaders masquerading as leaders. Again, figureheads. Figureheads who shuck & jive for the media & money
— Charles Wade (@akacharleswade) January 2, 2015
You can watch Winfrey’s comments here, via People:
[h/t THR]
[image via screengrab]
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