Oprah Winfrey is on the promotional trail with a new movie, “Selma,” but recent comments have raised the ire of current-day young leaders.
In an interview with People magazine, Oprah applauded protests in the wake of deaths at the hand of police, but suggested their were no leadership.
“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 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.’ ”
The billionaire media mogul probably isn’t aware that there is leadership at the rallies, that have amassed 75,000 people at once in some places like New York City. Similarly, demands and next steps have been outlined, particularly in places like Ferguson, MO.
Activist Ashley Yates, @BrownBlaze on Twitter, said, “Once again a Black ‘celebrity’ shows just how out of touch they are. So, while @oprah searches for an outdated leadership model, #weworkin.”
Rapper / activist Tef Poe offered a similar sentiment that seemed to leave an open door to working with Oprah.
“@oprah 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?”
The conversation is set to the backdrop “Selma,” a Civil Rights movie Oprah has produced about the ’65 marches for equality. The movie is set to drop nationwide Jan. 9.
Here are AllHipHop’s interviews with Ashley, Tef and their counterpart Tory Russell. Get to know them better.