The One That Changed The World

Imagine a world where young children and adults are not able to live a satisfactory life
because they are either in poverty or have bad pasts. These erroneous obstacles have stopped
many from living a life they deserved. If it had not been for Oprah Gail Winfrey, this would be
the world today. Oprah is best known for her renowned, multi-award winning television
program, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which has become the highest rated program of its time.
She is, as well, a heartwarming philanthropist, actress, and producer of HARPO Productions.
Born on the 29
th
of January, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi, she grew up in poverty most of her
life. Oprah has helped and benefited many human beings in our world today with her
philanthropic efforts and organizations, as well as personal donations. One of her superior
quotes spoken was, The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future
merely by changing his attitude. Although she has been through many hardships, her positive
outlook on life has motivated many people around the world to do good for the benefits of
others. Oprah Gail Winfrey has supported and sustained the people of our society and
therefore is the most influential, significant person in our world.
Oprah had a struggling past and was born into a deficit town in rural Mississippi to a
single, teenage mother, Veronica Lee. She was raised by her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee, for
the first six years of her life. Life on the farm was quite primitive, but her grandmother taught
her how to read at age three. Despite the hardships in her life and environment, she deeply
enjoyed the affection and support her grandmother offered. From then on, Oprah was shuffled
from one relative to another. During that time, Oprah suffered from repeatedly severe sexual
abuse between the ages of 9 to 13 by relatives and a close family friend. The abuse was
emotionally devastating and caused her to often run away at times. These past experiences
played a major role in influencing and motivating people around the world who suffered from
any type of abuse because Oprah openly admitted and discussed it on her show. After the
vigorous harassment, Oprah decided to move in with the man she calls her father, Vernon
Winfrey. Although he was a strict disciplinarian, he gave Oprah the well-deserved life she
needed which caused her to flourish under his control and protection. She greatly excelled in
school and moved on to become a journalist in college, heavily influenced by her dad. Although
she dropped out of the Tennessee State University in 1975 just one credit short of graduation,
she eventually received her degree in 1987 and continued on to become a successful and
prosperous talk show host.
Oprahs accomplishments have played a huge role in her altruistic and entertainment
success. She had a lucrative 25 years as a talk show host and even had her own show, The
Oprah Winfrey Show. Originally launched as AM Chicago, Oprahs outstanding efforts as host
caused the show to be the most prevailing one in town, which led it to become extended to an
hour-long segment named after her. The show received its first Emmy Award in 1987 and has
now won over two dozen. She also acted from 1995 to 2013 in major motion films such as The
Butler, some even produced by her own company, HARPO Productions formed in 1986.
HARPO Inc. plays a key role in todays film productions, television productions, magazine
publishing, and the Internet. In addition, Oprahs humanitarian efforts have given her
numerous titles and awards. TIME magazine listed her as one of the 100 most influential people
in the world from 2004 to 2011 every year. LIFE magazine gave her the title of most influential
woman of her generation. In 2011, Oprah was awarded a special Oscar Statue for the Jean
Hershott Humanitarian Award. To add on, in November of 2013, she received the Medal of
Freedom, which is the nations highest civilian honor, presented to her by the president
himself, Barack Obama. He chose to give Winfrey this award for her contributions to not only
this country, but the world as a whole. Including her benignant awards, Oprah has also
received personal titles as well. According to an article from www.acelebrationofwomen.org,
she has been ranked the richest African American of the 20
th
century and beyond, the greatest
black philanthropist in American history, and was once the only black billionaire.
Oprah Winfrey has immensely influenced and shaped the way society is today. To begin,
Oprah invested more than $40 million dollars and an abundant amount of time to establish the
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in 2007 near Johannesburg, South Africa. The
school enrolled 152 young girls and offers features such as a beauty salon and yoga studio.
Oprah also established a non profitable, charitable organization in 1997 called Oprahs Angels
Network. In September of 2006, donations to the organization for Hurricane Katrina register as
more than $11 million. Homes had been built in four states - Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and
Alabama, all before the one year anniversary of both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The money
and recently built homes had created bountiful jobs and environments for the horror-stricken
people who were affected. In addition, Oprah and her crew went on a 21-day trip to small,
poverty-stricken areas for Christmas. The team visited schools and orphanages to distribute
50,000 gifts to children, with dolls given to the girls and soccer balls given to the boys. Each
child also received a backpack full of schools supplies, two sets of school uniforms, socks,
underwear, and shoes. Oprahs dedication and love for her staff members on The Oprah
Winfrey Show had caused a great connection of loyalty to be felt. Her producer, Mary Kay
Clinton, has even said, I would take a bullet for her! Winfrey has taken the women staff on
shopping sprees to upscale stores to buy clothing, shoes, and furs, all covered by the lady
herself. She has also footed the bill for one of her producers weddings and gave each one two
round-trip tickets for Christmas to visit any place in the world for two weeks, along with
$10,000 and free hotel accommodations. To continue, Oprah took all her staff on a vacation to
the British Virgin Islands and even gave her best friend, Gale King, a check for one million
dollars to buy a new home after going through rough patches. She is also a dedicated activist
for childrens rights. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed a bill into law proposed by Oprah to
congress that created a nationwide database of convicted child abusers. In 2004, her and her
team traveled to South Africa to document a segment to bring attention to young children
affected by poverty and AIDS. She personally contributes much money to injured and battered
women, AIDS victims, and inner-city children. Oprah has also helped 250 African men complete
or continue their education at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, giving them an
opportunity for jobs they never thought they could have. She is extremely generous with her
scholarships and donations and uses her money to make a better world. Her quotes and
expressions are meant to help steer teenagers of today in the right direction to grow up with
good lives. Winfreys influence has even spread to the publishing industry, where her on-air
book clubs, which began in 1996, have rocketed many books including classics to the best seller
list, helping little-known authors to become some of the biggest. Without Oprah Winfreys
contributions to society, humanity would be nothing like it is today. Actress Lindsay Lohan has
credited and praised Winfrey for having an amazing impact on her life, being a guiding light,
and a calming influence. Overall, Oprah has had a profound influence around the globe on the
way people eat, exercise, feel, and think about themselves and others in the world around
them.
If it had not been for Oprah Winfrey, civilization in the 21
st
century would have been
completely different. She has inspired some of todays most successful people and many
human beings around the globe. Her magnanimous actions have benefited the lives of many.
Oprah said, My mission is to use this position, power, and money to create opportunities for
other people. Her sympathetic heart and fierce determination to do good for others has given
her a significant role in the world today. Without her, we would be living in a cruel world of
poverty and chaos. Oprahs support has greatly influenced the people of our society, making
her the most uplifting and important person of all time.