With a net worth of $2.8 billion (according to Forbes), Oprah is one of the richest African Americans in the United States and the country’s first African American multibillionaire. Oprah Gail Winfrey is considered a role model to many because of her unfortunately tough childhood, remarkable charity work, her long-running syndicated television show, and the true relationships she has built with her fans. Oprah stands out among many people in her field because of her ability to help those people get through troubling times. Her dedication to charity has touched the hearts of the world and made influenced others make an impact on the world as well. She cares for people and provides opportunities to so many. She sets a great example showing people that she can do anything despite the challenges that life places on her. She sticks up for what she believes in no matter the consequence. She walks her truth and is positive in her beliefs.
Her life was no walk in the park and came with a lot of tragedy. She grew up in a life of poverty. From the age of 9, she suffered abuse by the hands of multiple family members. She then ran away from home at 13 and became pregnant at the age of 14. She lost her child in infancy. At the age of 46 then lose her younger brother Jefferey Lee who died of AIDS in 1989, and in 2003, Oprah's sister, Patricia Lee, died of an overdose of drugs. But Oprah never let any of this stop or hold her back. She grabbed opportunities and skyrocketed up the ladder of success. She excelled in school and made that her primary focus which would later pay off as she quickly snagged a job after graduation from Tennessee University on a full scholarship. While in school, Oprah became Miss Fire Prevention, Miss Black Tennessee, Miss Black Nashville, Miss Black America.
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Oprah Winfrey grew up in a world of adversity, despite her early accomplishments. Earlier in her career she was hired as a primetime news co-anchor, an incredible feat considering she was a young, black woman in an era where old, white men made and enforced all the rules. But the show failed and when it failed, she received the blame and not her older, white, male co-host. She was then demoted to a writing and reporting gig which did not work for her because she was a slow writer and did not want to cover the types of stories that were asked of her. For a large majority of her career, Oprah struggled with the stereotype that as a black woman she would only be stuck in a box and hold jobs like an assistant anchor on the news. In every position she also found herself being paid less than her white co-workers. Determined, Oprah made sure to find ways to break the mold and make change in the broadcasting and media world. At the time, she was in a field that was dominated by white males, so she had to stand out in what she was doing to stay ahead. She worked hard and was eventually recruited to host a morning talk show in Chicago. That show became a household name. And Oprah became an international sensation. ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was one of the longest running talk shows having aired for 27 years. The show has also won 47 Daytime Emmy Awards. She has also earned an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Oscar Award.
Oprah used her television platform as a safe medium to make her voice and the voice of others heard by the world. She made people think, talk and share their feelings. She was relatable, current, genuine, and different from anything else on television. As a kid she connected me to a whole new world of inspiring ideas and life stories. I would watch her show daily and be fascinated by her presence and how she carried her interviews with the influential and the famous. She touched on topics on global issues and new trends and even difficult conversations about rights and lives of minority groups and individuals that no other stations were covering at the time. As an inspiring woman figure, she has shaped values that much of the world, including myself, cherish. Someone once said: “She is ordinary and extraordinary at the same time”.
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