The September issue of O Magazine hit newsstands Tuesday, and it features cover art from a 24-year-old Dallas artist.
Alexis Franklin's portrait of Breonna Taylor was chosen by Oprah Winfrey to grace the cover of the magazine, the first time in the magazine's history where Winfrey was not on the cover.
O Magazine revealed the cover art on its Instagram page July 30.
"Breonna Taylor. 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. 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 O magazine. I cry for justice in her name," Winfrey wrote in a statement.
Taylor was shot and killed on March 13 in Louisville, Ky. by police officers Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove after they used a "no-knock" warrant to break into her apartment while she was sleeping. She was 26.
In addition to the magazine cover, Winfrey paid for 26 billboards- one for each year Taylor was alive- to go up in Louisville using Franklin's portrait. The billboards demand justice.
"Having my work chosen for such a monumental statement has helped me realize how impactful my work can be," Franklin told WFAA in a written statement. "It opened my eyes to the power of art in activism on a new level.
"As a result, I’ve gained a new excitement and pride in what I do. My hope is that when people see the portrait, it will offer a chance for them to reflect. I believe that having hard conversations with those in our sphere of influence will make lasting changes in society, and I hope that my work helps inspires those conversations."
