Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the women who have come forward to publicly share their stories of sexual abuse and harassment as she became the first black woman to receive the Cecil B DeMille Award at the Golden Globes.
In a rousing speech, Winfrey declared that "a new day is on the horizon" in the fight against sexual violence as she collected the honorary prize at the Golden Globes.
Receiving the gong from her A Wrinkle in Time co-star Reese Witherspoon to a standing ovation, she said: "When that new day finally dawns it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure they become the leaders to take us to the time where nobody has to say 'me too' again."
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"This year, we became the story. Women who endured years of abuse because, like my mother, they had bills to pay and children to feed."
Winfrey praised civil rights icons Rosa Parks and Recy Taylor, who recently died, and their fight for justice after Taylor was gang-raped by six white men.
Speaking about Taylor, Winfrey said: "She lived, as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken brutally by powerful men.
"For too long women have not been heard or believed if they spoke their truth to the power of those men - but their time is up."
Winfrey said she valued the press more than ever for helping women tell their stories and stand up to the powerful.
She also said she had to "express gratitude to all the women who have endured years of abuse and assault because they, like my mother, had children to feed and bills to pay and dreams to pursue".
"They are women in all industries and of all races and religions," she added.
Speaking about making history as the first black woman to receive the Cecil B DeMille Award, she recalled the importance of seeing Sidney Poitier become the first ever black actor to win an Oscar in 1964.
The Cecil B DeMille Award is given every year to someone who has made a huge impact on entertainment. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Jodie Foster, Lucille Ball, Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.
Winfrey was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1985 for The Color Purple, which also marked her acting debut. She will next star in Disney's A Wrinkle in Time, directed by her frequent collaborator, Ava DuVernay.
Watch highlights from the Golden Globes and the Red Carpet on RTÉ2 tonight from 9pm
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