Oprah Winfrey said the nation is at a "tipping point" as she attempted to answer the question, "Where do we go now?" during a recent town hall. The iconic television host was joined by various guests during the two-night televised event who shared their stories and views of racial injustice in response to the killing of George Floyd.
Opening the discussion, Winfrey spoke of systemic change.
"We find ourselves on a precipice, on a tipping point," she said, according to Daily Mail. "For black people everywhere, we recognize that knee on the neck," she continued, referring to the killing of Floyd, who died after a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for over eight minutes as he gasped for breath.
"But I think for black men, I can only just imagine, that it's even more primal," Winfrey added before opening the conversation up to the panel that included New York Times columnist Charles Blow, actor David Oyelowo, New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, former Rep. Stacey Abrams and others.
"My emotional reaction to these things has transformed. It has become exhausted. I now see that the country is not responsive to black pain," Blow said.
Oyelowo said that he had "made the mistake of thinking that things would be different" for his son.
"I say 'mistake' because I had watched things progress in some ways and then the knee on the neck is so symbolic of so much," he added.
Abrams also weighed in on the topic, noting that both Floyd's murder, as well as the coronavirus outbreak, had a dramatic impact on black Americans.
"While George Floyd's horrific murder was a catalyst, we are dealing with a confluence of events that all demand action," she said.
Part two of the special television event will air on Wednesday night on Winfrey's OWN Network, as well as Discovery's networks, including Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV and Science Channel.
Related stories:
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.