WATCH: Oprah Winfrey's full speech urging voters to choose joy by choosing Harris at the DNC

 

PBS NewsHour

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Oprah Winfrey spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday, making the case for uniting as Americans and upholding democracy. Winfrey, who said she's a registered independent voter, listed all the states in which she’s lived, drawing cheers from the crowd. “I've seen racism and sexism and income inequality and division. I've not only seen it, at times I've been on the receiving end of it. But more often than not what I've witnessed and experienced are human beings, both conservative and liberal who may not agree with each other, but who'd still help you in a heartbeat if you were in trouble,” Winfrey said. On a night focused on fighting “for our freedoms,” from democracy to reproductive rights and more, Winfrey argued for civilized debate and abortion rights. And she alluded to former President Donald Trump’s proclivity for social media outrage, as well as comments made years ago by his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, about “childless cat ladies” in government. "Despite what some would have you think, we are not so different from our neighbors. When a house is on fire, we don't ask about the homeowner's race or religion. We don't wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them,” Winfrey said. “And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady - well, we try to get that cat out too.” She urged the crowd to choose joy, to choose freedom, to choose Harris. Wednesday evening, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will also formally accept the vice presidential nomination, a day before Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage as the official nominee. Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show. Newsletters: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/subscribe PBS News podcasts: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/podcasts Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG Find more from PBS News at https://www.pbs.org/newshour Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2HfsCD6 Follow us: TikTok:   / pbsnews   X:   / newshour   Instagram:   / newshour   Facebook: http://www.pbs.org/newshour