Oprah Winfrey Case

Oprah Winfrey

        Philanthropy changes the world by spreading love, peace, and fortune throughout the land. Although Oprah Winfrey has had success over the years, her philanthropy is what stands out the most.

        Livestock and crops aren’t the only things grown on farms. Oprah Gail Winfrey grew up on a farm in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954 (“Oprah Winfrey’ 1). Her parents are Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey (Michael O’Neal 1). She started reading at two and a half years old. She was reared by her grandmother for the early part of her life. “At age six, she was sent to live with her mother, who worked as a domestic, and two half-brothers in Milwaukee.” While in high school she was in council, drama club, and debate team. She was crowned Miss Fire Prevention by WVOL, a Nashville radio station. At sixteen, she won an Elks Club oratorical contest that awarded her a scholarship to Tennessee State University (Michael O’Neal 1). The contest and scholarship helped her transition to the next part of her life.

        Once Oprah Winfrey started, there was no stopping here. She received a job offer from a local Tennessee television station in her sophomore year of college and became a news anchor in Nashville (Michael O’Neal 1). “After graduating in 1976, Winfrey took a job with WJZ-TV in Baltimore as a reporter and a co-anchor of the evening news” (Michael O’Neal 1). In 1977 she switched to local news updates which appeared during ABC’s Good Morning America. The same year she became talk show host of Baltimore Is Talking. Oprah moved to Chicago to take over A.M. Chicago in 1984. A.M. Chicago turned into The Oprah Winfrey Show. “By 1993 The Oprah Winfrey Show was seen by 99 percent of U.S. television markets and sixty four countries” (Michael O’Neal 1). In the mid-1990s her show remained the most watched daytime show. The Oprah Winfrey Show was not her only success, she has had many others.

        Oprah’s career goes beyond The Oprah Winfrey. In 1998, she cofounded Oxygen Media (“Oprah Winfrey” 1). In 2000, she launched O: The Oprah Winfrey Magazine (Michael O’Neal 1). In 2006 the Oprah & Friends Channel debuted on satellite radio. In 2005, she was executive producer of Their Eyes Were Watching. “She brokered a partnership with Discovery Communications in 2008, through which the Oprah Winfrey (OWN) replaced the Discovery Health Channel in January 2011” (“Oprah Winfrey” 1). Her acting has lured success her way.

        Oprah Winfrey has an acting talent like many others in the entertainment world. In 1985, she was cast as Sofia in The Color Purple, which earned her an Oscar nomination (Michael O’Neal 1). The next year she formed Harpo Studios to do her own projects. In 1989, she starred in The Women of Brewster Place. In 1993, she was in There Are No Children Here. In 1997, she was in Before Women Had Wings. She lent her voice to several films including Charlotte’s Web in 2006 and The Princess and the Frog in 2009 (“Oprah Winfrey” 1). She has also starred in Lee Daniel’s The Butler in 2013. Her acting along with other things has earned her many awards.

        Oprah has won many awards. In 1993 she was given the Emmy’s Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1999 she received the Nation Bok Award and the 50th Anniversary Gold Medal. In 2002, she was the first recipient of the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the Emmy Awards. In 2004, she won the People’s Choice Award, favorite talk show host, Candle for Lifetime Achievement in Humanitarian Service, Morehouse College, Global Leadership Award, United Nations, Distinguished Service Award, National Association of Broadcasters, and 100 Most Influential People in the World Award (Newsmakers 1). In 2005, she was given the National Civil Rights Museum, National Association for the Achievement of Colored People Hall of Fame, International Emmy Founders Awards, International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, and the 100 Most Influential People in the World award (Newsmakers 1). In 2006, she won the Library Lion, New York Public Library, and the 100 Most Influential in the World award. She received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011 (“Oprah Winfrey” 1). IN 2013, she won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Oprah Winfrey’s awards has led her to help people.