Oprah Winfrey walked 2.26 miles to commemorate Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old who was shot and killed in Georgia while out on a jog earlier this year. Using the hashtag #IRunWithMaud, she memorialized him on what would have been his 26th birthday Friday. She was joined by longtime love Stedman Graham and two others.
“Today would’ve been Ahmaud Arbery’s 26th birthday. But he’s not here to celebrate because he was senselessly shot and killed doing something to make his life healthier and stronger. He went out for a jog while being Black. I wonder what was he thinking in those last seconds of his life? Unimaginable to go for a run in 2020 and end up dead because of the color of your skin,” Winfrey wrote.
The media maven added that after speaking with Ahmaud’s mother Wanda Cooper-Jones earlier in the week, she “feels better” knowing that two white men were arrested and charged with killing him. Other stars, including Viola Davis and Alicia Keys, have memorialized Ahmaud with walks or runs, and have called for justice.
The 66-year-old also shared on Instagram Stories that she has canceled all plans through 2020, including a birthday party and a 20th anniversary of O Magazine. She is so concerned, she is quarantining her dog separately because Sadie had an eye infection and had to visit the vet.
In March, she had Stedman quarantine separately, explaining at the time: “Stedman did not arrive from Chicago until Thursday. He had been speaking in St. Louis… he'd been on planes, so Stedman is like, ‘What's the procedure for coming home?’ The procedure is…you ain't coming and sleeping in my bed!”
