OVERNIGHT WE SPOKE TO HER ABOUT THE EFFORT TO GET THE FACTS OUT
AND WHY THIS IS SO PERSONAL FOR
HER.
HER. >> IT’S NOT ONLY RAVAGING OUR
COMMUNITY, BUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, WHICH I
THINK PEOPLE DIDN’T HEAR THAT.
SO IF YOU ARE TAKING MEDICATION
FOR YOUR DIABETES, IF YOU’RE
TAKING MEDICATION BECAUSE OF
HYPERTENSION, IF YOU NEED AN
ASTHMA INHALER FOR ASTHMA, YOU
HAVE ANY KIND OF LUNG DISORDER,
WHICH I AM STILL CONCERNED ABOUT
MYSELF, HODA, FROM PNEUMONIA,
BECAUSE MY LUNGS NEVER REALLY
FULLY CLEARED.
FULLY CLEARED. SO THE MOMENT I HEARD
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, I’M
LIKE, LOCK THE DOOR.
NOBODY ELSE IS COMING IN HERE.
>> OPRAH WINFREY TAKING A DEEP
DIVE INTO THE DEADLY AND
DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT THE
CORONAVIRUS IS HAVING ON BLACK
AMERICA IN THE LATEST
INSTALLMENT OF HER OPRAH TALKS,
COVID-19 SERIES.
COVID-19 SERIES. THE CRITICAL MESSAGE, NO ONE IS
SAFE.
SAFE. SOMETHING SHE DISCUSSED IN A
PREVIOUS EPISODE WITH BRITISH
ACTOR
ACTOR ACTOR IDRIS ELBA.
>> I JUST FELT COMPELLED TO TELL
PEOPLE THIS IS VERY REAL.
>> I WAS STRUCK BY LISTENING TO
IDRIS ELBA MAKING A PLEA TO
PEOPLE, SINCE HE WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH IT, THERE’S A RUMOR GOING
AROUND THIS DOESN’T AFFECT US IN
THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.
>> YOU KNOW, HODA, THAT’S THE
FIRST TIME I HAD HEARD ABOUT THE
RUMOR.
RUMOR. OBVIOUSLY HE WAS DISPELG THE
RUMOR.
RUMOR. I DIDN’T TAKE THE RUMOR
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. THAT WAS THREE WEEKS AGO.
WHO IS GOING TO BELIEVE THAT.
>> MAGIC JOHNSON WAS SAYING THE
SAME THING.
SAME THING. HE’S LIKE, LISTEN, THIS IS
SERIOUS.
SERIOUS. I WAS STRUCK BY THEIR HEARTFELT
PLEAS BEGGING PEOPLE TO TAKE IT
SERIOUSLY.
SERIOUSLY. >> NOT ONLY IS IT SERIOUS, BUT
PEOPLE THAT YOU DON’T KNOW BUT
PROBABLY WILL KNOW ARE LOSING
THEIR LOVED ONES.
>> THERE WAS A BUS DRIVER FROM
DETROIT NAMED JASON HARGROVE.
HE WAS LITERALLY TALKING ON HIS
PHONE SAYING, PEOPLE, STOP
GETTING ON MY BUS AND COUGHING.
>> TO THOSE WHO WATCHING, I’M
JUST LETTING YOU KNOW, THIS IS
REAL.
REAL. Y’ALL NEED TO TAKE THIS SERIOUS.
>> HE ENDED UP DYING.
IT STRUCK ME, I WAS THINKING
ABOUT ALL THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS
WHO ARE IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY,
WHO ARE DOING JOBS THEY ARE
COMING IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE.
DID YOU FIND IN YOUR SPECIAL
THAT WAS ALSO ONE OF THE
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS?
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS? >> WE AS A PEOPLE, AS
AFRICAN-AMERICANS, HAVE JOBS
THAT REQUIRE US TO BE AT WORK.
FOR SO MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS
THERE’S THIS DISABILITY TO
TELECOMMUTE.
TELECOMMUTE. >> IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR, THERE
ARE NOT MANY TESTING STATIONS
FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE ACCESS TO.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS WE’RE
TALKING ABOUT IN THE SPECIAL IS
THE NEED FOR MORE TESTING
STATIONS, OBVIOUSLY.
STATIONS, OBVIOUSLY. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, I THINK
IT’S IMPORTANT FOR
AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO UNDERSTAND
FOR OURSELVES THAT THIS IS SO
FURIOUS.
FURIOUS. IT’S TAKING US OUT.
>> IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE
DONE, OPRAH, FROM THIS POINT ON?
YOU’RE PLEADING, SOUNDS LIKE
YOU’RE TRYING TO EDUCATE.
YOU WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHAT’S
GOING ON.
GOING ON. >> WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT
THE RESPONSIBILITIES AND DAMAGES
OF SOME PEOPLE’S LIVES,
PARTICULARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN
PARTICULARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN AND BROWN PEOPLE, DO NOT ALLOW
YOU TO BE ABLE TO STAY AT HOME.
THEREFORE, THEY NEED MASKS.
YOU NEED MASKS IN GROCERY
STORES.
STORES. ALL THESE GROCERY STORE WORKERS
WHO ARE OUT THERE WITHOUT THE
MASK, THAT IS AT THIS POINT THAT
SHOULD NOT BE.
FOR NOW EVERYBODY NEEDS TO LOOK
OUT FOR THEMSELVES AND FOR THEIR
NEIGHBORS.
NEIGHBORS. >> HER HEART IS IN THAT.
SHE’S ALSO PUTTING HER CHECKBOOK
IN THAT, TOO.
SHE DONATED $10 MILLION TO HELP
AMERICAN SUFFERING.
AMERICAN SUFFERING. SHE TOLD ME WHAT SHE’S DOING
WITH THAT MONEY, SHE’S GIVING IT
TO COMMUNITIES WHERE SHE HAS A
CONNECTION, NASHVILLE,
CONNECTION, NASHVILLE, MILWAUKEE, CHICAGO.
MILWAUKEE, CHICAGO. SHE WANTS TO HELP THOSE KIND OF
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. YOU CAN HEAR IT IN HER VOICE.
>> WHEN SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT
THE RUMORS GOING AROUND, THE
PANDEMIC, FACEBOOK ESPECIALLY, I
HAD FRIENDS SEND ME THESE
ARTICLES ABOUT HOW
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WERE NOT AS
SUSCEPTIBLE TO GETTING COVID-19,
AND PEOPLE BELIEVED IT FOR A
LONG TIME.
LONG TIME. HER POINT ABOUT PEOPLE OF COLOR
IN THIS COUNTRY NOT HAVING THE
LUXURY OF STAYING AT HOME
BECAUSE SO MANY ARE HOURLY
EMPLOYEES, THAT’S A SALIENT
POINT THAT’S GOTTEN LOST IN A
LOT OF THIS.
>> SHE TALKS TO REGULAR FOLKS,
SHE TALKS TO DOCTORS, SHE TALKS
TO PEOPLE IN THE SPIRITUAL
COMMUNITY SO SHE’S GOING TO DO A
WIDE RANGING SPECIAL TONIGHT.
>> I’M GLAD SHE’S USING HER
VOICE, BECAUSE HER VOICE IS
POWERFUL AND I THINK PEOPLE WILL
LISTEN.
LISTEN. I HOPE THE MESSAGE GETS OUT.