S1 EP. 009  – Oprah Winfrey

 

Introduction

Oprah Winfrey is a media mogul, producer, talk show host, actress, author and co-author of 9 books, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was the television host of the popular TV program, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” which ran from 1986 to 2011 for 25 seasons.  Currently, she is the brilliant mastermind behind a billion dollar empire.  Winfrey is the owner and founder of the TV network OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and Harpo, Inc. which includes O magazine and book club.  Winfrey is also a partner of Oxygen and part owner of Weight Watchers and its brand ambassador.  In previous years, Forbes’ has listed her as The Most Influential Person In The World, The richest African American In the World, and The Richest Women in the World. Winfrey was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.  Today, she has a net worth of $3 Billion.

Early Life

Oprah Winfrey’s life is a life-story of triumph in the face of overwhelming odds, difficulties and adversities.  Her story is truly a story that exemplifies that you can become anything that you want to become.

Oprah Winfrey was born as on January 29, 1954, in Kosciusko, Mississippi to the unmarried parents Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey.  Winfrey was named after a biblical character named “Orpah” in the Book of Ruth, however, either a misspelling in her name occurred in the hospital or everyone had difficulty and mispronounced her name calling her “Oprah” instead of “Orpah.” Whatever the case may be, “Oprah” stuck.  When Winfrey was born, Vernita, her mother, was a teenager. Winfrey’s father Vernon was a member of the Armed Forces.

Shortly after Winfrey’s birth, Vernita traveled north to look for work, leaving Winfrey to live with her grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee on a rural farm.  Her mother would eventually find work as a household maid in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but Winfrey spent her first six years of life living with her grandmother.  They were so poor that she often wore dresses made of potato sacks. While living on the farm, Winfrey’s only friends were farm animals whom she would played with and often gave them parts in her plays and games.  Despite being poor, her grandmother taught her to read and write before the age of 3 years old often having Winfrey recite Bible verses and speaking in the local church, where Winfrey was nicknamed, “The Little Preacher!”  When Winfrey attended kindergarten, she wrote her teacher a note on the first day explaining that she didn’t belong in kindergarten, she belonged in first grade. So, she was promoted to first grade and at the end of the year she was promoted to third grade.

Around the age of six years old, Winfrey moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to live with her mother. This turned out to be a tragic decision Winfrey because her mother worked all the time just to make ends meet and left young Winfrey home unsupervised.  Later, from age 9 to 13, Winfrey would be molested by her cousin and later for many years by other family members, mother’s boyfriends, or family friends.  Until she was 24 years old, Winfrey never told anyone about the raps and when she did her family did not believe her.  When Winfrey was twelve years old, she was sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee.  There she began making speeches at small gatherings and churches. It was during this time that Winfrey earned $500 for a speech and determined that she wanted to be “paid to talk.”  This time of peace was short lived, however, Vernita became pregnant and had Winfrey sent back to Milwaukee to help take care of the new baby.  Because of the abuse, Winfrey tried to run away from home at 13 years old. However, she was sent to a detention home.  The home turned Winfrey away because there were no empty beds.  She returned home, but began to argue and steal from her mother and hang out with older boys.