Oprah Winfrey surprised the crowd Wednesday night at the 2024 Democratic National Convention and delivered a 15 minute energetic speech She expressed support for Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be elected as the next president, and encouraged Americans to vote in November. She said she was honored to be invited to speak on the evening’s theme: freedom.
At the beginning of her speech, Winfrey referred to the words of Late Congressman John Lewis“No matter what ship our ancestors came on, we are all in the same boat now.”
She shared the stories of civil rights pioneers Ruby Bridges, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost Williams, known as “The New Orleans Four”, who helped desegregate schools and break down barriers in New Orleans.
Winfrey also criticized former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, in her speech, denouncing Vance’s comments. 2021 Note on “Cat Ladies Without Children”.
“But we’re past the point of ridiculous tweets and lies and nonsense. These are complicated times, my friends. And they require adult conversations. And I welcome those conversations because civilized debate is essential to democracy and it’s America at its best,” Winfrey said.
Read a full transcript of Oprah Winfrey’s speech at the 2024 DNC below.
Good evening everyone! Who said we can’t go home anymore?
After watching the Obamas last night, it was really epic, wasn’t it? It was really epic. We’re so excited now that we can’t wait 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.
I am honored to have been invited to speak on tonight’s theme, on what matters most to me, to you, and to all of us Americans: freedom.
There are people who want you to see our country as a nation that unites us against them. People who want to scare you, people who want to rule you, people who want you to believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe. That there is a right way to pray and a wrong way to love. People who seek first to divide and then to conquer. But here’s the thing: When we are united, we cannot be conquered.
In the words of an extraordinary American, the late Congressman John Lewis. He said that no matter what boat our ancestors came on, we are all in the same boat now. Congressman Lewis knew full well how far this country has come because he was one of the brilliant Americans who helped get us to where we are. But he also knew that the work is not done. The work will never be done because freedom is not free. America is a work in progress. It requires commitment. It requires being open to the hard work and the heart work of democracy. And every now and then, it requires standing up to the tyrants of life. I know that. I have lived in Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Colorado, California, and my sweet home of Chicago, Illinois!
I have traveled this country, from the redwood forests, which I love, to the waters of the Gulf Stream. I have seen racism, sexism, income inequality, and division. I have not only seen it. Sometimes, I have been a victim of it. But more often than not, what I have seen and experienced are human beings, conservative or liberal, who may disagree with each other, but who would still help you in a heartbeat if you were in trouble. These are the people who make me proud to say I am an American. They are America’s finest. And despite what some would have you believe, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is burning, we do not ask the race or religion of the owner. We do not wonder who his partner is or who he voted for. No! We simply try to do our best to save it. And if the house belongs to a cat lady with no children… Well, we try to get that cat out too.
“Because we are a country of people who work hard to make money. We wish our brothers and sisters well and we pray for peace. We know all the old tricks and clichés that are designed to distract us from what really matters. But we are beyond the ridiculous tweets and the lies and the nonsense. These are complicated times, my friends. And they require adult conversations. And I am open to those conversations because civilized debate is essential to democracy and it is America at its best.”
Over the last two nights, we have all seen courageous people step up to this stage and share their most intimate pain. Amanda and Josh, Caitlin, Hadley. They have told us their stories of rape, incest, and near-death experiences because the state denied them the abortion their doctor said was medically necessary. They have told us these things for one reason only: to prevent what happened to them from happening to anyone else. Because if you don’t have agency over this, if you can’t control when and how you choose to bring your children into this 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 icy fear are the new freedom fighters. And make no mistake, they are America’s finest.
Now I want to talk about someone who is not with us tonight, Tessie Prevost Williams, who was born in New Orleans shortly after the Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional. That was in 1954, the same year I was. But I didn’t have to walk to the all-white McDonogh 19 school for first grade with a U.S. Marshal at my side like Tessie did. When I got to the school, the building wasn’t empty, like it was for Tessie. Parents took their children out of the school, leaving only Tessie and two other black girls sitting in the classroom whose windows were covered with paper to keep snipers from attacking their 6-year-old bodies.
Tessie passed away six weeks ago. I tell this story in tribute to her tonight. She, like Ruby Bridges, and her friends Leona and Gail, the “New Orleans Four,” as they were known. They broke barriers and paid a high price for it. But it was the grace and courage and grit of women like Tessie Prevost Williams that paved the way for another girl who, nine years later, became the second class to integrate the Berkeley, California, public schools.
And it seems to me that at school and at home, someone did a great job of showing this young girl how to challenge those at the top and empower those at the bottom. They showed her how to look at the world and see not only what is, but what can be. They instilled in her a passion for justice and freedom and the fighting spirit to pursue that passion.
And soon, and very soon. Soon, and very soon, we will teach our daughters and sons how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two idealistic and energetic immigrants, grew up to become the 47th President of the United States! This is America at its best!
You know, you know. Let me tell you something. This election is not about us and them. It’s about you and me. And what we want our future to look like. There are choices to be made when we vote. And there’s a certain candidate who says if we go to the polls once, we’ll never have to again. Well, you know what? You’re dealing with a registered independent who is proud to vote over and over and over again because I’m an American and that’s what Americans do.
Voting is the best thing that can happen in America. And ever since I was able to vote, I have voted based on my values. And that is what we need in this election, now more than ever.
So I appeal to all independents and all undecideds. You know this is true. You know I’m telling you the truth, that values and character matter above all else. In leadership and in life. And more than anything, you know this is true, that decency and respect are on the agenda in the 2024 election. And it’s just common sense. Common sense tells you that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz can bring us decency and respect. They’re the ones who will bring it to us.
So we are Americans. We are Americans. Let us choose loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to an individual. Because that is what is best in America. And let us choose optimism over cynicism, because that is what is best in America. And let us choose inclusion over vengeance. Let us choose common sense over absurdity. Because that is what is best in America. And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return of yesterday. We will not turn back. We will not be discouraged, pushed back, intimidated, pushed around. We will not turn back. We will not turn 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 most of all, let’s choose freedom. Why? Because that’s what’s best about America. We’re all Americans. And together, let’s choose Kamala Harris!
Thank you Chicago!
