Oprah Winfrey, My Hero
A person’s acts and personality determine the kind of human beings they are. Oprah Winfrey was born in a low-income family, and she had a rough childhood. She lived with her grandmother in her early ages. Oprah was molested as a teenager and got pregnant. Oprah did not have a proper parent role model in life and kept shifting from one household to another. Oprah finally went to Nashville, Tennessee to live with her father, a move that turned around her life. Her father was strict on her and issued curfews, and this helped Oprah focus on her education and ended up becoming top in her class. Oprah also took part in oratory and drama performances and won prices. Oprah’s career began in high school where she worked as a newscaster at a radio station in her school and was later employed in various radio stations after school. Her career peaked when she was moved to Chicago and hosted “AM Chicago,” a show which made her famous. Oprah Winfrey is not only a celebrity but also a kindhearted person, leader and a renowned hero and is celebrated all over the world.
Oprah Winfrey championed for the rights of children, the elderly and the youth. As a result of the traumatizing experience she had in her teenage, Oprah used her position and influence to campaign for the rights of children. Oprah was involved in the formation and implementation of the National Child Protection Act, legislation aimed at creating a database of all arraignments and convictions of child abuse offenders and sex offenses too (Garson 14). The act required nations to have the history of all criminals and organizations that take care of the youth, the elderly and persons living with disabilities have their employees vetted and a background check is done before employment. Vetting and a background check are crucial in ensuring that the vulnerable are protected against sexual offenders, therefore, creating a serene environment to the youth, the elderly, and children to live in as there is a guaranteed form of security. The database is also useful to every American since it is accessible. Indeed Oprah was mindful about people who are vulnerable and cannot protect themselves, a quality I admire.
Oprah also made use of her influence to impact society. Oprah had a great ability to sell products, ideas, and causes. Oprah’s legendary ability to sell to generate profits was popularly known as Oprah’s effect (Peck 7). Oprah had a book club which revived the book reading culture. Oprah chose books that her fans would read and review. The reading culture was also of help to some authors who gained a lot of recognition through the club’s recommendations. The people were interested in reading every book that Oprah read. Oprah used her show to help people improve themselves. The reading culture also boosted the literature field at large. Upcoming authors, existing authors were inspired, and people became knowledgeable through consistent reading. Oprah also wrote a book her book “What I Know For Sure.” The book talks about her journey and impacts the readers with knowledge and encourages people to choose paths of joy, resilience, clarity, and power. Oprah indeed used her influence to grow the literature field and grow a reading society, an aspect that inspires me a lot.
Oprah Winfrey was a great supporter of education and improving the lives of women in society. Oprah founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for girls in South Africa. Some Africans by then had not embraced the education of women. The academy attracted a lot of critics who believed that educating a girl was not quite essential and it would be counterproductive since the girls would eventually leave their communities (Charumbira 625). The critics did not deter Oprah since she believed in helping girls who grew up with challenges like her and had the will to learn. The academy provided leadership skills and education to girls whose background was poor. Oprah also took part in various causes of charity. Oprah donates her money to charities and foundations. Oprah also uses her influence to collect donations from others to help the needy. Oprah has her foundation, Oprah Angle Network which funds the leadership academy for girls and helps the unfortunate families lead a better life. Oprah also supports the Clinton foundation which takes part in supporting treatment of HIV and AIDS and champions against climate changes. I admire Oprah, the philanthropist.
Oprah used her education and passion for impacting society. Oprah is determined in achieving her goals and challenges did not deter her from becoming a successful person. Oprah is concerned with the welfare of other people and does everything in her power to help the destitute. Oprah’s philanthropic way of life is an excellent example of how one can transform even the universe by acts of kindness. Her way of life should be emulated to have a better tomorrow. Oprah Winfrey is indeed a celebrity who dedicated her life in helping the less fortunate all over the world making her a hero.
Reflections
I chose this hero because she is famous and her humanitarian actions impact people across the world. I knew Oprah as a media personality who hosted very influential shows and has received various awards.
Oprah Winfrey and Martin Luther King have a common thing in that they use their positions, skills, and competence to vouch for the things they believe in. They inspired people by GIVING hope for the future and had high moral values like honesty. On the other hand, Oprah Winfrey used her personal experiences to motivate people while Martin Luther King Jr used spiritual means to inspire people.
What surprised me in this project is finding out that people go through a lot of tribulations and not give up in life. Oprah, having experienced all the suffering, she did not give up and overcame the trauma.
I learned that giving back to society matters a lot. You do not need to have a lot of money to change the life of a person. Small contributions are also relevant and giving time to the less fortunate is quite essential too.
Based on this experience, the next time I do a project, I will be sure to do more research besides the designated assignment because it is through research that people acquire information and broaden their knowledge and skills.
Works cited
Charumbira, Ruramisai. “‘A School Said to Resemble a Luxury Hotel’: Historicizing African Women’s Quest for Education before Oprah’s School.” History Compass, vol. 7, no. 3, 2009, pp. 624–643.
Garson, Helen S. Oprah Winfrey: A Biography, 2nd Edition: A Biography, Second Edition. ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Peck, Janice. “The Secret of Her Success: Oprah Winfrey and the Seductions of Self-Transformation.” Journal of Communication Inquiry, vol. 34, no. 1, 2010, pp. 7–14.