Oprah Winfrey
The Social Influence of Oprah
By Bobbi Gilliland
Oprah Winfrey is known as one of the most influential people America knows. Oprah Winfrey’s career choice as a host helped her rise to the top and start on her own adventures. Oprah’s contribution with children would be one of her most recognized accomplishments. Oprah once said, "I think education is power. I think that being able to communicate with people is power. One of my main goals on this planet is to encourage people to empower themselves.” Those words have influenced her listeners and she has completed all goals that come her way.
In 1986 Oprah created her own production company Harpo Productions, Inc. that has housed many of her projects. The Oprah Angel Network according to Oprah.com is a charity that supports women, children, and families with educational and empowerment initiatives. The network created a Katrina registry which raised more than $11 million for Hurricane relief efforts; she also contributed her own money. In 2004 Winfrey went to South Africa to help children affected by poverty and AIDS, Oprah and her crew visited schools and orphanages and distributed Christmas presents to 50,000 children. Also in South Africa Oprah established a well-equipped school for girls. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls was created to support the development of a new generation of women leaders in South Africa. In 2012 Oprah gave 400 scholarships to students at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Oprah has an influence over the way people read, eat, exercise, feel and think about everything. With help of social media throughout the years Oprah has put other people and children first. Her charity work is never-ending. She has donated more money and worked for many causes. Her outstanding philanthropic skills along with her leadership have shaped her to be one of the most social woman and a great role model.
Sources:
Kidzworld. Kidzworld, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.kidzworld.com/
article/4230-oprah-winfrey-biography>.
Oprah.com. Harpo Productions, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.oprah.com/
entertainment/Oprah-Winfrey-Leadership-Academy-for-Girls>.
Lets Talk Ethics
By Isabella Gorrocino
Although being very affluent and considered the most effective woman in the world, Oprah Winfrey has remained a humanitarian and loved by all for her ethics. Born as a victim of poverty in Mississippi, Oprah lived a rough live that would later develop the way she seen the world, her system of values, and construct her moral behavior. Violently molested by her own relatives and visitors of the household, she left to Nashville, Tennessee where she would live with her father. Oprah Winfrey’s father pushed her to exceed every goal and to live a moral life, leading her to be seen as a great social figure in her community. At 16 years of age, she was offered an on-air job for an African American radio station and by the time she was 19, she was anchoring the news at WTFV-TV and became the first African American woman and the youngest person to do so. Her broadcasting year took off and took viewers by storm.
Oprah Winfrey began doing small talk shows and in 1984, she became a talk show host for AM Chicago, which name would change to The Oprah Winfrey Show a year later and became the number one talk show in national syndication. Growing by popular demand, she then created the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Scott Allen author of “Oprah Winfrey-About.com Readers’ Most Admired Entrepreneur” Stated, “To support the education and empowerment of women, children, and families in the U.S. and around the world.” Funds from the charity improved education and health care astoundingly. Followed by that, she founded Oprah’s Angel Network to inspire and motivate people to make a difference in the lives of others.
While Oprah inspired others, the only thing that inspired her was the fact that she was making a positive change in the moral beliefs of society. She has not taken her fame and fortune for granted, she shared with Fortune Magazine that she isn’t egotistic. According to achievement.org, in an interview Oprah stated, “I don’t think of myself as a businesswoman. The only time I think of myself as a businesswoman is now, while I’m talking to you. There’s this part of me that’s afraid of what will happen if I believe it all.” Oprah Winfrey is a social activist and role model to all. She’s simply motivated by the satisfaction of others and obviously shown, fortune isn’t a factor to her humanitarianism. She is still seen as a leading opinion-maker and rightly called the most powerful woman in the world.
Sources:
About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://usliberals.about.com/od/
celebrityactivists/p/OprahActivist.htm>.
Squidoo.com. Squidoo, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.squidoo.com/
harpo>.
By Bobbi Gilliland
Oprah Winfrey is known as one of the most influential people America knows. Oprah Winfrey’s career choice as a host helped her rise to the top and start on her own adventures. Oprah’s contribution with children would be one of her most recognized accomplishments. Oprah once said, "I think education is power. I think that being able to communicate with people is power. One of my main goals on this planet is to encourage people to empower themselves.” Those words have influenced her listeners and she has completed all goals that come her way.
In 1986 Oprah created her own production company Harpo Productions, Inc. that has housed many of her projects. The Oprah Angel Network according to Oprah.com is a charity that supports women, children, and families with educational and empowerment initiatives. The network created a Katrina registry which raised more than $11 million for Hurricane relief efforts; she also contributed her own money. In 2004 Winfrey went to South Africa to help children affected by poverty and AIDS, Oprah and her crew visited schools and orphanages and distributed Christmas presents to 50,000 children. Also in South Africa Oprah established a well-equipped school for girls. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls was created to support the development of a new generation of women leaders in South Africa. In 2012 Oprah gave 400 scholarships to students at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Oprah has an influence over the way people read, eat, exercise, feel and think about everything. With help of social media throughout the years Oprah has put other people and children first. Her charity work is never-ending. She has donated more money and worked for many causes. Her outstanding philanthropic skills along with her leadership have shaped her to be one of the most social woman and a great role model.
Sources:
Kidzworld. Kidzworld, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.kidzworld.com/
article/4230-oprah-winfrey-biography>.
Oprah.com. Harpo Productions, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.oprah.com/
entertainment/Oprah-Winfrey-Leadership-Academy-for-Girls>.
Lets Talk Ethics
By Isabella Gorrocino
Although being very affluent and considered the most effective woman in the world, Oprah Winfrey has remained a humanitarian and loved by all for her ethics. Born as a victim of poverty in Mississippi, Oprah lived a rough live that would later develop the way she seen the world, her system of values, and construct her moral behavior. Violently molested by her own relatives and visitors of the household, she left to Nashville, Tennessee where she would live with her father. Oprah Winfrey’s father pushed her to exceed every goal and to live a moral life, leading her to be seen as a great social figure in her community. At 16 years of age, she was offered an on-air job for an African American radio station and by the time she was 19, she was anchoring the news at WTFV-TV and became the first African American woman and the youngest person to do so. Her broadcasting year took off and took viewers by storm.
Oprah Winfrey began doing small talk shows and in 1984, she became a talk show host for AM Chicago, which name would change to The Oprah Winfrey Show a year later and became the number one talk show in national syndication. Growing by popular demand, she then created the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, Scott Allen author of “Oprah Winfrey-About.com Readers’ Most Admired Entrepreneur” Stated, “To support the education and empowerment of women, children, and families in the U.S. and around the world.” Funds from the charity improved education and health care astoundingly. Followed by that, she founded Oprah’s Angel Network to inspire and motivate people to make a difference in the lives of others.
While Oprah inspired others, the only thing that inspired her was the fact that she was making a positive change in the moral beliefs of society. She has not taken her fame and fortune for granted, she shared with Fortune Magazine that she isn’t egotistic. According to achievement.org, in an interview Oprah stated, “I don’t think of myself as a businesswoman. The only time I think of myself as a businesswoman is now, while I’m talking to you. There’s this part of me that’s afraid of what will happen if I believe it all.” Oprah Winfrey is a social activist and role model to all. She’s simply motivated by the satisfaction of others and obviously shown, fortune isn’t a factor to her humanitarianism. She is still seen as a leading opinion-maker and rightly called the most powerful woman in the world.
Sources:
About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://usliberals.about.com/od/
celebrityactivists/p/OprahActivist.htm>.
Squidoo.com. Squidoo, n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. <http://www.squidoo.com/
harpo>.