Oprah Winfrey has visited the grave of a black Alabama woman who was raped by six white men in 1994.
The 63-year-old media mogul highlighted the devastating death of Recy Taylor, who was unable to prosecute the abusers who attacked her in the town of Abbeville, in her speech at the Golden Globes earlier this month, and has now been to see her burial plot as part of a segment on TV show ’60 Minutes’.
Alongside the pictures, she wrote: "I don’t believe in coincidences, but if I did this would be a powerful one. On assignment for @60minutes I end up in the town of Abbeville where #RecyTaylor suffered injustice , endured and recently died. (GGspeech) To be able to visit her grave so soon after ‘speaking her name ‘sharing her story, a woman I never knew. Feels like … (sic)"
Recy – who died in December, aged 97 – refused to stay silent after the brutal attack, and despite the confessing to authorities, two grand juries subsequently declined to indict the men, with no charges ever brought against them.
In 2011, the Alabama Legislature officially apologised on behalf of the state "for its failure to prosecute her attackers."
As a result, there was a nationwide protest and widespread activism among the African-American community, triggering the early beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement
In her poignant speech at the Globes, the ‘Selma’ star vowed "time is up" for the reign of powerful men suppressing women.
She said: "Recy Taylor died 10 days ago, just shy of her 98th birthday.
"She lived as we all have lived, too many years in a culture broken by brutally powerful men. For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dare speak the truth to the power of those men. But their time is up. Their time is up."
As she ended her rousing talk, Oprah received a standing ovation.
She concluded: "So I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon!
"And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again."
Oprah Winfrey visits grave of rape victim Recy Taylor
