Legendary talk show host and TV personality Oprah Winfrey has suffered a backlash for her comments about the recent Black Lives Matter protests sparked by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner at the hands of police officers.
Though sympathizing with the movement’s cause, Oprah was criticized for questioning the movement’s lack of leadership. Speaking after an interview with People magazine to promote “Selma”, a film documenting the 1965 protests in Selma, Alabama, led by civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Oprah said:
“What I’m looking for is some kind of leadership to come out of this to say, ‘This is what we want. 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.'”
Following her statements, protesters took to social media to voice their displeasure of Winfrey, who they claim is “out of touch” and an “elitist.” One tweet, from @brownblaze, stated “Once again a Black ‘celebrity’ shows just how out of touch they are. So, while @oprah searches for an outdated leadership model, #weworkin.” Other protesters, such as @charleswade, noted that Winfrey has been “PAINFULLY quiet” about the issue before promoting her film. @tefPoe questioned, “there are youth orgs set up and ready to roll .. How about some of the black elite sit at the table w/us and discuss our demands?”
In comparing recent protests to those that occurred in Selma, Winfrey stated, “those marches just didn’t happen, and they weren’t happening haphazardly. They were happening out of an order and a design for change.”
“Selma” will be released in the UK in February.
