Oprah Winfrey's magazine honors Breonna Taylor on cover: 'I cry for justice in her name'

Oprah Winfrey's magazine is calling attention to the death of Breonna Taylor in what is a major first for the publication.

O, The Oprah Magazine on Thursday released a look at its September cover featuring Taylor, the 26-year-old Black woman who was fatally shot by police in her apartment earlier this year. This, according to USA Today, is the first time ever that a cover of Winfrey's magazine has not had Winfrey on it.

Taylor's death in March sparked outrage especially amid the nationwide protests following the police killing of George Floyd. The O cover highlights a quote from Winfrey — "If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In an article for O, Winfrey writes that Taylor was "just like me" but says that the "pleas for justice" following her killing "have fallen on deaf ears." The officers involved have not been charged.

"Breonna Taylor had plans," Winfrey says. "Breonna Taylor had dreams. They all died with her the night five bullets shattered her body and her future." Winfrey adds that "we can't be silent" and that the reason Taylor is on the magazine's cover is that "I cry for justice in her name."