Oprah is an overall generous and intelligent person who cares about the mental and emotional feelings of others, and made sure they were well taken care of. Oprah Winfrey was the first female African American to become a talk show host, and one of the first African American millionaires. She started of her career in Baltimore when she hosted a local television show called People Are Talking. After that Chicago TV recruited her to have her own morning show, which became The Oprah Winfrey Show later on. Oprah Winfrey impacted millions of people with her dedication for helping victims of abuse, her charity and by hosting a famous talk show known as The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Sexual Abuse was one of the things Oprah had to deal with in her life time. One day, on her show the topic about it came up. On the show one of the woman opened up about how her dad abused her for years, which lead to Oprah incidentally opening up about her situation (King). Another woman talked about how she was forced to kill her husband; Oprah then revealed that she was sexually abused by her cousin, uncle and others too. Once she opened up about her situation people suddenly started calling in, and revealing similar situations that happen to them as kids. Oprah’s fame and empathy for the public enabled more people to grow from similar situations.
The first time she publicly announced her issues to the world; she knew that she hit people’s hearts, and that she now had a platform to help people felt comfortable. Oprah didn’t want a “big-name-guest” on her show. Having celebrity was not her first priority for the show, making sure people enjoyed and also knew someone cared about them. She wanted to be able to help everyday people with traumatic situations, and were willing to talk about it on a spiritual or emotional level. Winfrey being in the same situations as some of these girls she felt there was a common bond between all the women. What made her show unique was that she did not care about personalities, she cared about issues.
Compassionate and giving are two things you can consider Oprah as. She donated millions of dollars to more than thirty charities: The Angel Network, The Oprah Winfrey foundation, and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation are some of the three main places her money goes too. Using her talk show as the main platform to support the charities, Winfrey has truly established herself as an altruistic person. She has extended her arms and influence far and wide throughout the world. (L.T.T.S) One of the foundations she donates to is the Project Cuddle which saves hundreds of abandoned and abused babies a year.
Meanwhile, she didn’t only fund charities but she as well as supported them and donated to others too. Oprah is also big supporter of the Clinton Foundation, which supports many causes including treating HIV and AIDS and fighting climate change.(look to the stars) She was one of the largest contributors to Free the Children, an organization dedicated to building schools for children in developing countries.(L.T.T.S) Oprah bought cars and donated them to charities for the impoverished.
In 2007, the Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation was created for The Leadership Academy for girls in South Africa. The Leadership Academy for girl is a college preparatory boarding school for girls in grades 8 through 12. It is located in Henley on Klip Gauteng Province, South Africa and was founded in 2007 by Oprah herself. The school helps underprivileged girls in multiple areas around South Africa. The boarding school has transformed the lives of hundreds of students in grades 8-12, providing them with the educational and emotional tools to realize their dreams of pursuing careers in such illustrious fields as medicine, public service and architecture. (Saval) Oprah has approximately spent $140 million, also paying for the uniforms and needed braces for the students.
On November 20, 2009 Oprah made an announcement that she would be ending her show May 25, 2011. Her final audience consisted on 200 men who were want abused as children. The final “Oprah Winfrey Show” audience included her boyfriend, Stedman Graham, filmmaker Tyler Perry and her fourth-grade teacher, a woman she called Mrs. Duncan. (CNN) Filming more than 5,000 episodes on her talk show Oprah was most famous for her show. The final episodes aired with some of her famous friend coming and saying their goodbyes to the show. “Winfrey taped the teary finale last week that included surprise tributes from superstars including Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jordan, Will Smith and Madonna. (CNN)” Breaking racial barriers on her show had a big impact on the mood of the room. Once her show ended Oprah moved on to having a lead role in the new movie called A Wrinkle in Time which debuted February 26, 2018.
Oprah Winfrey’s impact on America was when she helped victims of abuse, when she donated to hundreds of charities and her talk show known as The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her generosity and intelligent proved that she was a strong woman, who cared for others deeply. Being one of the first African American millions she started a cause in South Africa known as the Leadership Academy for Girls. Oprah Winfrey was one of the most inspirational figured in history and inspired many more to come.