More than four months after Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home by police executing a “no-knock” warrant, Oprah Winfrey has featured Taylor on the cover of her O Magazine.
Taylor’s September issue marks the first time in the magazine’s 20-year history that Oprah will not appear on the cover.
Instead, the media mogul and philanthropist shared on Instagram that she wished to honor Taylor’s life with the cover, as well as “the life of every other Black woman whose life has been taken too soon.”
The cover image of Taylor was created by digital artist, Alexis Franklin, and the issue is said to focus on systematic racism and anti-racist actions readers can take. Oprah’s tribute to Taylor shares several links, including StandWithBre.com, which lists ways to demand justice for Taylor.
Taylor, who was a 26-year-old emergency medical technician, was sleeping in her Louisville, Kentucky home the night three plainclothes police officers forced her door open on March 13. Believing it to be a home invasion, Taylor’s partner (a licensed gun owner) reportedly shot one of the officers in the thigh.
The police blindly returned fire with more than 25 bullets, killing Taylor. Police had carried out the “no-knock” search warrant as they claimed Taylor’s ex-boyfriend was using her address to mail drugs through the post office, however, no drugs were found in Taylor’s apartment.
In the months since, no charges have been made against the officers responsible for Taylor’s death and two of the three officers still have their jobs.
Having spoken with Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer, Oprah noted that she was still processing the grief. “I can’t stop seeing her face. Her smile. It’s what I miss most about her. I still can’t grasp the concept of her being gone,” Palmer told Oprah. “The fact that no one has been charged. It was so reckless. They did all of this for nothing, and she lost her life,” she said.
Oprah paid tribute to Taylor a well, writing of her interests and her plans for the future that were cut short. “Imagine if three unidentified men burst into your home while you were sleeping. And your partner fired a gun to protect you. And then mayhem,” Oprah wrote.
“What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice,” she said, adding, “I cry for justice in her name."
