Oprah Winfrey wowed the crowd Wednesday night. 2024 Democratic National Convention And delivered A lively 15-minute speech She endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the next president and encouraged Americans to vote in November. She said she was honored to be asked to speak on the night’s theme of freedom.
Winfrey made the following remarks early in her remarks: The late Congressman John Lewis“It doesn’t matter what boat our ancestors came in. Now we’re all in the same boat.”
She shared the stories of people known as civil rights pioneers Ruby Bridges, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost Williams. “The New Orleans Four” A man who helped to desegregate schools and break down barriers in New Orleans.
Winfrey also criticized former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, in her speech, calling Vance’s 2021 “Childless Cat Lady” Statement.
“But we’ve moved beyond the outrageous tweets and the lies and the stupidity. These are complicated times, folks, and we need to have a grown-up conversation. And I welcome that conversation because civilized debate is essential to our democracy and it’s what makes America great,” Winfrey said.
Read Winfrey’s full 2024 DNC speech below.
Hello everyone! Who said you can’t go home again?
After watching the Obamas speak last night, it was a really big fireworks, right? It was a really big fireworks. We’re so excited right now, we want to get out of here and do something! And what we’re going to do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States.
Tonight, I am deeply honored to be asked to speak on a topic that is of the utmost importance to me, to you, and to all of us Americans: freedom.
There are those who want to see our country as an us-against-them nation. Those who want to make you fear them and rule over them. Those who want you to believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe. Those who want you to believe that there is a right way to worship and a wrong way to love. Those who seek to divide first and then conquer. But the point is that when we stand together, we cannot be conquered.
The words of the late John Lewis, a great American. He said, no matter what boat our ancestors came in, we are all in the same boat. Lewis knew how far this country has come, because he was one of the great Americans who brought us to where we are today. But he also knew that the work is not over. The work will never be over, because freedom is not free. America is an ongoing project. It takes dedication. It takes openness to the hard work and heartfelt effort of democracy. And sometimes it takes standing up to the bullies of life. I know this. I have lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, California, and my sweet hometown of Chicago, Illinois!
I have traveled this country from the redwoods to the Gulf Stream. I have seen racism, sexism, income inequality, and division. I have seen it, and sometimes been on the receiving end of it. But what I have witnessed and experienced is that even if you disagree with conservatives or liberals, if you are in trouble, there are still people who will help you. These are the people who make me proud to be an American. They are the best people in America. And contrary to what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we do not ask about the race or religion of the homeowner. We do not wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No! We just do our best to save them. And if that house happens to be the home of a cat lady who has no children… well, we try to get that cat out too.
‘Because we are a nation of people who work hard for money. We pray for the well-being of our brothers and sisters and for peace. We know all the old tricks and metaphors designed to distract us from what really matters. But we are beyond the ridiculous tweets and the lies and the stupidity. These are complicated times, people. And we need adult conversation. And I welcome that conversation because civilized debate is essential to democracy and that’s what America is at its best.
Over the past few days, we have seen brave people come to this stage and share their most personal pain. Amanda and Josh and Kaitlyn and Hadley. They have told us stories of rape, incest, and near-death experiences when their state refused to grant them an abortion that their doctor had told them was medically necessary. And they have told us these stories for one reason: to prevent what happened to them from happening to anyone else. Because if you don’t have autonomy over this, if you don’t have the power to decide when and how you bring your children into this world, and how they will be raised and supported, then there is no American dream. The women and men who are fighting to keep us from returning to a time of despair, shame, and cold fear are the new freedom fighters. And they are, without a doubt, the best people in America.
I want to talk about Tessie Prevost Williams, who is not with us tonight. She was born in New Orleans shortly after the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional. It was 1954, the same year I was born. But I didn’t have to go to the all-white first grade of McDonough 19 School with a U.S. marshal next to me like Tessie did. When I got to school, the building wasn’t empty like Tessie’s. Parents had pulled their children out of school, and Tessie and two other black girls sat in the classroom, covering the windows with paper to keep the sniper from hitting their six-year-old bodies.
Tessie passed away six weeks ago. I tell this story tonight in her honor. Like Ruby Bridges and her friends Leona and Gayle, she was called the “New Orleans Four.” They broke barriers and paid a terrible price for it. But the grace, courage, and bravery of women like Tessie Prevost Williams paved the way for another girl nine years later to become the second integrated public school class in Berkeley, California.
And I think that at school and at home, someone showed this young girl a wonderful way to challenge those at the top and empower those at the bottom. They showed her a way to see the world, to see what it could be, not just what it is. They instilled in her a passion for justice and freedom and the glorious drive to pursue that passion.
And soon, and very soon. Soon, and very soon, we will teach our daughters and sons about this child born of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, this idealistic, energetic immigrant, this immigrant, this child, how he grew up to become the 47th President of the United States! That’s the best of America!
You know, let me tell you. This election is not about us and them. It’s about you and me. And what kind of future do we want to see? There’s a choice to make when you vote. Now, some candidates say that if you go to the polls just once, you never have to vote again. Well, you know? You’re looking at registered independent voters, and I’m proud to continue to vote because I’m an American and that’s what Americans do.
Voting is the best thing in America. And I have voted according to my values since I became eligible to vote. And that is more important now than ever in this election.
So I appeal to all the independents and all the undecided. You know this is true. You know I’m telling the truth. Values and character matter more than anything. In leadership and in life. And above all, you know this is true. Civility and respect are on the ballot in 2024. And it’s just plain common sense. Common sense says Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can give us civility and respect. They’re the ones who will give it to us.
So we are Americans. We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to the individual, because that is what America is at its best. Let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that is what America is at its best. Let us choose inclusiveness over retaliation. Let us choose common sense over nonsense, because that is what America is at its best. Let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We will not go back. We will not be pushed back, bullied, or held back. We will not go back. We will not go back. We will not go back. We will not go back.
So let’s choose, let’s choose truth. Let’s choose honor. And let’s choose joy! Because that’s what’s best about America. But above all, let’s choose freedom. Why? Because that’s what’s best about America. We’re all Americans. And together, let’s all choose Kamala Harris!
Thank you, Chicago!
