Oprah Winfrey surprised the crowd on Saturday night 2024 Democratic National Convention and sent an 15 minute lively speech show support for Vice President Kamala Harris as the next president and encourage Americans to vote in November. He said he was honored to be asked to speak on the theme of the night: freedom.
At the start of her speech, Winfrey referenced those words the late Congressman John Lewis“Regardless of what ship our ancestors sailed on, we are all in the same boat now.”
They share the stories of civil rights pioneers Ruby Bridges, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost Williams, known as “New Orleans Four,” who helped desegregate schools and break barriers in New Orleans.
Winfrey also took jabs at former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, in her speech, calling out Vance’s 2021 “Catwoman without children”..
“But we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, people. And they need mature conversations. And I welcome that conversation because civilized debate is important for democracy and that is what is best in America,” said Winfrey.
Read the full transcript of Winfrey’s 2024 DNC remarks below.
Good evening, everyone! Who says you can’t go home again?
After watching the Obamas last night, that was some epic fire, wasn’t it? Some epic fire. Now we are so excited, we can’t wait to leave here and do something! And what they will do is elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States.
I am honored to be asked to speak on tonight’s theme of what is most important to me, to you, and to all Americans: freedom.
There are people who want you to see our country as our nation against them. People who want to scare you, people who want to rule over you, people who believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe. That there is a right way to worship and a wrong way to love. Those who seek first to divide and then to dominate. But here’s the thing. When we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.
In the words of an extraordinary American, the late Congressman John Lewis. He said that whatever ship our ancestors were on, we are all in the same boat now. Congressman Lewis knows very well how far this country has come because he is one of the brilliant Americans who helped to get us where we are. But he also knows that his work is not done. The work will never be done because freedom is not free. America is an ongoing project. It takes commitment. This requires openness to the hard work and heart work of democracy. And every now and then, it requires standing up to life’s bullies. I understand this. I’ve lived in Mississippi, in Tennessee, in Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, California, and– and home sweet Chicago, Illinois!
I have actually traveled this country from the redwood forest, love the redwood, to the water of the bay. I have seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division. I don’t just see it. At times, I have been on the receiving end of it. But more often than not, what I have seen and experienced are human beings, conservatives and liberals, who may not agree with each other but will still help you quickly if you are in trouble. These are the people who make me proud to be an American. They are the best in America. And despite what some will have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house burns down, we don’t ask about the owner’s race or religion. We don’t care who their partner is or how they choose. Not! We are just trying to do our best to save it. And if the place belongs to a cat that does not have children…Well, we also try to get the cat out.
Because we are a country that works hard to earn money. I hope our brothers and sisters are safe, and pray for peace. We know all the old tricks and tropes designed to distract us from what matters. But we are beyond ridiculous tweets and lies and foolery. These are complicated times, folks. And they need a mature conversation. And I welcome that conversation because civilized debate is essential to democracy and that’s what America is best at.
Now, over the last few nights, we’ve all seen people bravely walk this stage and share their most personal pain. Amanda and Josh, Caitlin, Hadley. She told her story of rape and incest and her near-death experience because the state denied abortions that doctors described as medically necessary, and she told them for one reason, and that was to make it happen. from what happened to others. Because if you don’t have autonomy over this, over this, if you can’t control when and how you choose to bring your children into the world and how they are raised and supported, there is no American dream. The women and men who are fighting to keep us from returning to a time of despair and shame and cold fear, they are the new freedom fighters. And make no mistake, they are the best in America.
I want to talk now about someone who is not with us tonight, Tessie Prevost Williams, born in New Orleans shortly after the Supreme Court ruled segregated schools unconstitutional. It was 1954, the same year I was born. But I didn’t have to go to first grade at the all-white McDonogh 19 school with a US Marshal by my side like Tessie. When I got to school, the building wasn’t empty, as it was for Tessie. The parents pulled their children out of the school, leaving only Tessie and two other black girls sitting in a classroom with windows covered with paper to block the sniper from attacking the 6-year-old.
Tessie died six weeks ago. I am telling this story in his honor tonight. She, like Ruby Bridges, and her friends Leona and Gail, the “New Orleans Four,” were called. They broke barriers and they paid dearly for it. But the grace and guts and courage of women like Tessie Prevost Williams, who paved the way for another girl who nine years later became a second grader to join public schools in Berkeley, California.
And it seems to me that, at school and at home, someone is doing a good job of showing this young lady how to challenge the person above and empower the person below. He showed them how to look at the world and see not only what is but what is possible. He instilled a passion for justice and freedom and the noble fighting spirit needed to achieve that passion.
And soon, and very soon. Soon, and soon, we will teach our daughters and sons about how the child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two energetic idealistic immigrants, immigrants, how this child grew up to be the 47th president of the United States. ! America’s best!
You know, you know. Let me tell you this. This election is not about us and them. It’s about you and me. And what we want for our future. There are choices to be made when choosing. Now, there are certain candidates who say that if we only go to the polls this once, we won’t have to do it again. Well, you know what? You see registered independents who are proud to vote again and again because I am an American and what Americans do.
Voting is the best thing in America. And I always, since I have the right to choose, I always choose my values. And that’s what we need in this election now more than ever.
So, I invite you all independents and all undecideds. You know this is true. You know I tell you the truth, values and character are most important. In leadership and in life. And above all, you know this is true, that decency and honor are on the ballot in 2024. And it’s just common sense. Common sense tells us that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can offer decency and respect. They are the ones who give it to us.
So we are Americans. We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to individuals. Because it’s America’s best. And let’s choose optimism over cynicism because that’s what America is best at. And let’s choose inclusion over retribution. Let us choose common sense over nonsense. Because it’s America’s best. And let’s choose the sweet promise of the future instead of the bitter return of yesterday. We will never go back. We will not back down, get kicked out, harassed, kicked out. We will never go back. No return. We will never go back.
So, let’s choose, let’s choose the right one. Let us choose glory. And let’s choose joy! Because it’s America’s best. But more than anything else, let’s choose freedom. Why? Because it’s America’s best. We are all Americans. And together, let’s vote for Kamala Harris!
Thank you, Chicago!
