Viola Davis Moves Los Angeles Women's March Crowd With Powerful Speech

Viola Davis touched the hearts of thousands with her Women's March speech in Los Angeles.In what [...]

Viola Davis touched the hearts of thousands with her Women's March speech in Los Angeles.

In what was probably the most powerful speech of the day, the How to Get Away With Murder and Fences star discussed Jim Crow laws, talked about her own sexual assault experience and said that too many people have been left behind.

"We fall asleep when we're moving ahead and we don't look to the left and right and see that we're not including people in this move-ahead. Because really, at the end of the day, we only move forward when it doesn't cost us anything," she said. "But I'm here today saying that no one and nothing can be great unless it costs you something."

"One out of every five women will be sexually assaulted and raped before she reaches the age of 18," she continued. "One of out six boys. If you are a woman of color and you are raped before you reach the age of 18 then you are 66 percent of being sexually assaulted again."

"I am speaking today, not just for the MeToos, cause I was a MeToo," Davis said. "But when I raise my hand I am aware of all the women who are still in silence. The women who are faceless. The women who don't have the money, who don't have the constitution, who don't have the confidence and who don't have the the images in our media that gives them a sense of self worth enough to break their silence that's rooted in the shame of assault."

Davis then reference the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, which invites all who "yearn to breathe free."

At least 500,000 attended the Women's March in Los Angeles.

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