For the first time in the history of O: The Oprah Magazine, Oprah Winfrey will not be on the cover.
Instead, a picture of Breonna Taylor — who was killed by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky — will be featured on the front of the magazine’s September issue.
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Winfrey revealed the cover Thursday on Instagram. It shows Taylor in a Louisville EMS uniform.
“Breonna Taylor. She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans,” Winfrey wrote alongside the image. “Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter. I think about Breonna Taylor often.”
“We can’t be silent,” Winfrey added. “We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of Oprah magazine. The September issue honors her life and the life of every other Black woman whose life has been taken too soon.”
The image of Taylor was recreated by 24-year-old digital artist Alexis Franklin, Winfrey said.
Taylor, 26, was shot eight times on Mar. 13 while she slept in her home. The three officers involved were executing a no-knock search warrant at the wrong apartment. One of the officers has been fired for misconduct. The other two were placed on administrative reassignment. To date, no one has been arrested or charged in the case.
In an accompanying column in the magazine, Winfrey urges readers to speak out and includes a list of ways they can make a difference, such as signing a Change.org petition to demand justice, calling Kentucky government officials, donating to the Louisville Community Bail Fund and using the hashtag #SayHerName on social media.
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