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Oprah Magazine sponsors 26 billboards to honor Breonna Taylor

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Oprah Magazine - Breonna Taylor Billboards A billboard sponsored by O, The Oprah Magazine, is on display with with a photo of Breonna Taylor, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 in Louisville, KY. Twenty-six billboards are going up across Louisville, demanding that the police officers involved in Taylor's death be arrested and charged. Taylor was shot multiple times March 13 when police officers burst into her Louisville apartment using a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. No drugs were found. (AP Photo/Dylan T. Lovan)
By Cox Media Group National Content Desk

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police while in her home on March 13.

The 26-year-old EMT from Louisville, Kentucky, was sleeping in her apartment with her boyfriend when three law enforcement officers arrived at the residence to conduct a no-knock search warrant. Taylor was struck by gunfire at least eight times.

In the five months since her death, one of the three officers have been fired. None have faced any charges.

Amid public outrage, many have called for a thorough investigation and for the officers to be charged with crimes related to Taylor’s death.

TV host and producer Oprah announced July 30 that an illustration of Taylor would grace the cover of the September issue of The Oprah Magazine.

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Breonna Taylor. She was just like me. She was just like you. And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter. I think about Breonna Taylor often. 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. What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of @oprahmagazine. The September issue honors her life and the life of every other Black woman whose life has been taken too soon. Head to OprahMag.com for more—and thank you to @alexis_art, a 24-year-old digital artist, who captured the essence of Breonna. The issue will be available wherever you buy or download magazines on 8/11.

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“Breonna Taylor ... was just like me. She was just like you,” Oprah wrote on Instagram. “And like everyone who dies unexpectedly, she had plans. Plans for a future filled with responsibility and work and friends and laughter ... 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. What I know for sure: We can’t be silent. We have to use whatever megaphone we have to cry for justice. And that is why Breonna Taylor is on the cover of [The Oprah Magazine]. The September issue honors her life and the life of every other Black woman whose life has been taken too soon.”

The depiction of Taylor is the first edition of the magazine in 20 years that doesn’t feature Oprah.

This week, the magazine commissioned 26 billboards, one for each year of Taylor’s life, across Louisville.

“Demand that the police involved in killing Breonna Taylor be arrested and charged,” the billboards read.

They also feature a blurb from Oprah: “If you turn a blind eye to racism, you become an accomplice to it.”

The billboards encourage people to visit UntilFreedom.com, a website for an organization that works to fight for justice for minorities and undeserved groups. The organization lists a number of ways activists can get involved in supporting initiatives to seek justice for Taylor.


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