Billionaire talk show host Oprah Winfrey surprised the mother of Ahmaud Arbery with a phone call on what would have been the slain youth’s 26th birthday.
She joins a long list of celebrities who are offering condolences to the mother of the black Georgia man who was shot and killed while jogging by a white father and son.
Speaking to TMZ, Cooper-Jones says she was shocked when she answered the phone to hear Winfrey on the other end. She said that Oprah told her she was thinking of her family and hoped the family would get justice.
The day after the phone call, Winfrey posted a video on Instagram of herself, her boyfriend, and others walking 2.26 miles to honor Arbery and call for justice. The walk was in celebration of Arbery’s birthday on the same day.
“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 captioned an Instagram post.
Arbery’s mom also said the media mogul was sending something to her in the mail but did not know what it was going to be.
Like Oprah, other stars like Gayle King’s and Reverend Jesse Jackson have called to offer support and condolences to Arbery’s mother.
Others, including Viola Davis and Alicia Keys, have memorialized Ahmaud with walks or runs, and have called for justice.
Cops believe Gregory McMichael, 64, and his 34-year-old son Travis killed Arbery as he jogged on the outskirts of Brunswick, Georgia.
The fatal shooting happened on Feb 23, but the McMichaels were not arrested or charged until last week – after video surfaced.
