Oprah Winfrey makes rousing speech at Golden Globes

Actress and TV talk show host Oprah Winfrey poses with the Cecil B DeMille Award during the 75th Golden Globe Awards PicAFPAs Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman to receive the Cecil B DeMille award at the 75th Golden Globe Awards here on Sunday she called for in a powerful acceptance speech a world free of sexual abusers where nobody ever has to say Me too again Winfreys inspirational and moving speech which drew a standing ovation from the Whos Who of Hollywood saw her talk about people speaking out the truth and fighting for justiceSpeaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have And Im especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories she said in reference to the slew of sexual abuse allegations against men in and outside Hollywood Stressing that its not just a story affecting the entertainment industry Winfrey 63 said Its one that transcends any culture geography race religion politics or workplace So I want to express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they like my mother had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursueTheyre the women whose names well never know They are domestic workers and farm workers They are working in factories and they work in restaurants and theyre in academia engineering medicine and science Theyre part of the world of tech and politics and business Theyre our athletes in the Olympics and theyre our soldiers in the militaryWinfrey took the audience through the story of the late Recy Taylor a woman who in 1944 was kidnapped and raped but never got justiceRecy Taylor died ten days ago just shy of her 98th birthday She lived as we all have lived too many years in 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 her voice exuding the confidence which sets her apartDressed in an allblack number expressing support to the silent protest against sexual predators the worldfamous talk show host actress producer and philanthropist said she has attempted through her career to say something about how men and women really behave To say how we experience shame how we love and how we rage how we fail how we retreat persevere and how we overcome Ive interviewed and portrayed people whove withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning even during our darkest nightsSo I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon 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 fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say Me too againWinfrey had begun her speech by reminiscing about being a young girl in 1964 watching Sidney Poitier become the first black man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor Id never seen a black man being celebrated like that Winfrey said of the moment in 1982 It is not lost on me that at this moment there are some little girls watching as I become the first black woman to be given this same awardCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go