-New Urban Media- The 2018 Golden Globes: Oprah Winfrey's Electric Speech, The Fashion Blackout, and Sexual Abuse & Gender Disparity Take Center Stage

Actress, Producer, and Network CEO Oprah Winfrey becomes the first Black American woman to win the Cecile B. deMille Award  for outstanding contribution to entertainment at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 2018 Golden Globe Awards

Actor Sterling K Brown makes Golden Globe history as the first
African American to win as Lead Actor in a Drama for his role
as Randall Pearson on "This Is Us". 

Of all the formal ceremonies sprinkled throughout awards season, The Golden Globe Awards is generally known as one of the most festive and lighthearted; a night dusted by glittering lights and dinner tables stocked with champagne, littered with throwaway jokes and a sense of carefree abandon and rebellion in the air.  Last night the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual awards telecast took on a more somber, resigned, and at times revolutionary tone- as the entertainment world still reels from this year's reports on sexual abuse and harassment scandals- scandals that have brought to light dozens and dozens of sordid tales of sexually predatory behavior that has been bubbling under the surface of Hollywood (and the general American workplace) for decades. 

"DIE ZEIT IST UM" : Photo of the buttons worn by supporters
of the "TIMES UP NOW" initiative at the 2018 Golden Globes

As and act of solidarity for the countless brave women and men who've come forward to throw a wrench into the cultural machine of sexual predatory behavior in Hollywood, the Golden Globe attendees, women in particular , all adopted black as the official wardrobe color choice of the evening. The aim in wearing black was to recognize and support those who have been targets, victims, and survivors of the disturbing phenomenon of sexual abuse against the marginalized in the entertainment industry and workplaces everywhere.  The evening also marked the mass launch of the initiative "Times Up Now", an organization founded and funded by 300 of Hollywood's most powerful actresses to address injustice and inequality, and improve safety, corporate policy, and employment agreements in the workplace.

Big winners of the evening included Best Animated Feature Film for "Coco";  Germany's nomination for Best Foreign Film, "In the Fade", starring Diana Kruger;  the wildly arresting dystopian drama "The Handmaid's Tale" as Best Television Series (Drama); and Guillermo de Toro as Best Director-Motion Picture for "The Shape of Water", featuring Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer in a co-starring role.  In one of the touching historical moments of the evening, actor Sterling K. Brown was the first African American awarded Best Lead Actor in a Drama series in the Golden Globe Awards' 75-year history.

The highlight of the evening hands down went to the Cecil B. deMille award presentation to actor and omnimedia giant Oprah Winfrey, whose multi-hyphenate contributions to the world of entertainment as an actress, television personality, film & tv producer, and entrepreneur began over 33 years ago, shortly before Winfrey landed her first Golden Globe nomination for The Color Purple. The Cecil B. deMille Award is given annually to a talented individual for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.  The President of the HFPA stated, “The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to announce Oprah Winfrey as the recipient of the 2018 Cecil B. DeMille Award.  As a global media leader, philanthropist, producer, and actress, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, making her one of the most respected and admired figures today. For generations, Oprah has celebrated strong female characters on and off screen, and has been a role model for women and young girls for decades. Holding titles such as Chairman, CEO, and Founder, Oprah is one of the most influential women of our time, and this honor is well deserved especially in this 75th anniversary year of the Golden Globe Awards.”

As Winfrey took the stage to thank those who have been crucial to her journey in the entertainment industry, she took time to address the the issue of sexual violence in an impactful speech that left few dry eyes in the house. Though rather than provoke tears of sadness or anger, her impassioned words unified and uplifted, even in their defiance of a cultural, social, and political system that has long required silence amongst victims:

"I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association because we all know that the press is under siege these days, but we also know that it is the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice, to tyrants and victims and secrets and lies.

...For too long, women have not been heard or believed if they dared to speak their truth to the power of those men, but their time is up."

...and to that we must paraphrase an earlier part of Winfrey's speech that evening that simply states, "all we can do is quote and say, 'Amen, amen. Amen, amen' ".