It looks like people are finally starting to realise that we should be taking capable black women seriously, and hiring them in leadership roles. Great news.
After a rousing speech at the Golden Globes earlier this week as Oprah Winfrey received the Cecil B. DeMille award for career achievement, there are renewed and fervent calls for Oprah to run for President of the United States in 2020.
‘I want all the girls watching here now to know that a new day is on the horizon!’ Winfrey said in her speech.
‘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.’
The speech was excellent, and very well received.
The buzz around #Oprah2020 started up again, with people convinced that Winfrey is the candidate the Democrats need.
Merchandise is being sold, Twitter accounts have been made and domains have been bought – not by Oprah, but by fans.
But before we get ahead of ourselves, I think it’s time we start listening.
Firstly, as Dahlia Lithwick wrote in a piece for Slate, people didn’t really listen to Oprah’s speech – it wasn’t about her, it was about us.
‘The dominant theme I heard was about giving voice to invisible people,’ wrote Lithwick.
'What I heard in her speech wasn’t a bid to save us all, but rather a powerful charge to the young girls watching at home to tell their own stories, to fight for their own values, and to battle injustices with the certainty that they will be seen and heard.’
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It does a disservice to Oprah and voters to say that this speech about people telling their own stories is an indication that she would be a good fit for President of one of the most influential countries in the world.
Secondly, Oprah has told you no many times, she has said she’s not running and would never run for public office, yet no one is listening to that.
People are listening to their own wants – people really like Oprah, and she’s see as the acceptable and palatable face of black female success.
Thirdly, instead of listening, we’re hearing policies where there are none.
Political pundits are already guessing what her politics might be, with little to no evidence of them, if you’re not endorsing someone for their policies, what are you endorsing them for?
Oprah Winfrey is absolutely iconic. She worked her way up from next to nothing to the first black female millionaire in America. Oprah has succeeded in America despite racism, sexism and abuse.
But, Oprah is not superwoman, she’s not Olivia Pope, she’s not here to solve all your problems.
She’s seen by some as the antidote to Trump – black, a woman, eloquent - but only on the surface. Under the surface they both have celebrity status, a background in TV, and no previous political experience.
The issue is we’re still failing to see Oprah as a real person, with real limitations.
There’s a long-standing tradition of either seeing black women as sub-human or super-human, they are neither of these things.
If Oprah runs, gets elected, and then makes even one tiny mistake, or falls even slightly short of the ridiculous standard that has been set – she will fall from the pedestal she’s been pushed on to – she’s been set up to fail.
I’m not saying that she wouldn’t be able to do the job – there’s no way for me to know that - I’m saying that Oprah is not an easy magical fix for America’s ills.
If you really want more diversity in politic then endorse donate to [schemes that help young black women get into politics](https://twitter.com/repmaxinewaters?lang=en get into politic), and support black women who are already in politics; Maxine Waters, Kamala Harris and Lisa Blunt Rochester are just a few.
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Follow Phoebe on Twitter @PhoebeParke
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.