00:00What matters now? What matters next? What do we want? What are our demands? Where do we go from
00:06here? Oprah Winfrey continued part two of her two-night conversation on Wednesday called
00:11Where Do We Go From Here? An open dialogue with black artists and activists aimed at determining
00:15how America can help eliminate systemic inequality and racism. The open conversation featuring
00:20director Ava DuVernay, former U.S. Representative Stacey Abrams, actor David Oyelowo, and Atlanta
00:26Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, among several others, comes in the wake of ongoing nationwide protests
00:30following the May 25th killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who pleaded for air as
00:35a Minnesota police officer kneeled on his neck. Kicking off their second dialogue, Winfrey
00:39acknowledged that, quote, our country is in a moment of reckoning, adding that systemic
00:43racism is rooted inside the psyche and soul of America. A lot of people are waking up and
00:49recognizing that we know better. But the question is, will we, in this moment in time, do better?
00:57Winfrey then turned the focus to the term privilege and what exactly that means. New York Times
01:01journalist Nicole Hannah-Jones compared white privilege to that of, quote, swimming along
01:05with the current. It doesn't mean that you're not working hard. It doesn't mean that you're
01:09not struggling, but you're swimming along in the current and that the black experience is working
01:13hard and swimming against the current. Atlanta Mayor Bottoms said that, though, it's great to see
01:18society discussing privilege in the first place. Those conversations about white privilege would
01:22have to be had, quote, behind closed doors. Later on, Oyelowo noted that, quote, privilege is
01:27baked into everything, explaining that the foundation of the country has been built on privilege.
01:32America was built with a knee on the neck of the Native Americans. It happened to the Mexicans
01:37as well. It is something that this country is built on.
01:42Professor and author Jennifer Eberhardt offered another take on privilege in which she explained
01:46that it's already problematic that, quote, white people are not taught to see color.
01:50It's colorblindness is offered to white Americans as a way to fight injustice, but, you know,
01:57it actually, you know, promotes that injustice. She goes on to say, when the goal is to not
02:02see color, those children don't see discrimination. The conversation then shifted to what legitimate
02:07actions can be done to help tackle racial injustices. I think that voting is one of the most
02:13empowered things anyone can do. Oyelowo said that police reform is needed, whereas journalist
02:18and author Charles M. Blow expressed hope for a civil rights bill 2020. Meanwhile, American
02:22university professor and how to be an anti-racist author Abram X. Kendi urged for an anti-racist
02:28America.
02:28We have a nation where racial inequity is everywhere and people believe it should be that way because
02:35they believe black people should be poor. They believe they have more because they are more.
02:40When it comes to changes within film and television, Ava DuVernay expressed that artists must commit
02:44to a narrative change and depict stories that will prevent audiences from having a blind spot.
02:49And reviewed all of the beatings and to make Selma and the tapes of the boys being interrogated
02:57and prison surveillance tape and all of that for when they see us.
03:01Protests against police violence have taken place nationwide in all 50 states, with high-profile
03:05members of Hollywood attending as well. Elsewhere, numerous Hollywood companies have shared statements
03:09and some, such as Comcast, have even matched words with donations and plans. Oprah's special
03:15is airing on OWN, Discovery Network's 18 other networks, and is available to stream on YouTube.
03:20For more on this story, head to the article on THR.com. For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Neha Joy.
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