*Oprah Winfrey’s comments regarding the lack of leadership behind nationwide demonstrations against the treatment of African-Americans by police is hitting a bad note among protestors.
The criticism stems from a video posted Thursday on People magazine’s website. In the clip, Winfrey praises the depiction of the thoughtfulness and strategy used by Martin Luther King, Jr. in her new film “Selma” while voicing the lack of these things in the recent protests that have taken place against the grand juries’ decisions to not indict the police officers who killed Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
“I think it’s wonderful to march and to protest, and it’s wonderful to see all across the country, people doing it, but 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 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,’ ” said Winfrey, who co-stars in and produced “Selma”.
“I think what can be gleaned from our film is to take note of the strategic, peaceful intention required when you want real change,” she added.
Winfrey’s comments did not go over well with some who slammed the media mogul on Twitter. The following are a few of the responses to what Winfrey said, via People and the Washington Post:
“If @oprah doesn’t see ‘leadership’ in Ferguson, it’s cuz she’s not really looking. It’s grass-roots she has to do work to see the teams.”
Once again a Black ‘celebrity’ shows just how out of touch they are. So, while @oprah searches for an outdated leadership model, #weworkin.
BrownBlaze (@brownblaze) January 2, 2015
I’ma say it: @Oprah has romanticized the CR movement and it’s leaders and sees “SELMA” as a blueprint for us now. This is about ticket sales
Charles Wade (@akacharleswade) January 2, 2015
