![]() She also won a scholarship to Tennessee State University where she studied communications. While in high school, she won an oratory contest and the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant. At age 14, Oprah, herself still a rebellious teen, gave birth to a stillborn son.īecause she possessed a strong interest in books and developing her oratory skills, Winfrey leaned toward education. Her parents were poor unwed teenagers who later worked jobs as a housekeeper and barber. The big-hearted host also has a flair for dramatic roles, and has gone on to become a credible actress, starting with the mid-1980s role of Sophia in the acclaimed movie, “The Color Purple.” She also founded the TV network, Oxygen.īut the Kosciusko, Miss., native came from meager beginnings and a deprived childhood. Winfrey is also a magazine publisher and highly respected book critic whose reviews have jump-started the careers of many authors. Her show is currently in its 25th year, but Winfrey recently announced that she’s calling it quits after this season. Winfrey is ranked among the most influential women in the world, and was distinguished in 2005 by Forbes as the world’s only African-American billionaire. They have successfully overcome their setbacks and defeats with a fierce determination that has also earned them millions of dollars.īorn January 29, 1954, the talk show mogul garnered huge TV ratings almost from the start, and cut into viewership of rival talk show hosts including Phil Donahue and Sally Jesse Raphael to climb to the top. Today, all three are an affirmation that Black women have a place at the table of leadership. It was Winfrey’s pioneering ways that helped carve out a niche for model Tyra Banks and supported singer Beyonce’s meteoric rise to prominence. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.” “And it’s not just about being able to write a check. ![]() I think it’s an on-going process,” Oprah Winfrey has said. From the days of the late actress Hattie McDaniel and entrepreneur Eunice Johnson in the early 20th century, Black women have always forged paths of leadership, fighting for success while giving tirelessly of themselves.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |