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Of all the
successful modern day women, none have had to overcome as much as
Oprah Winfrey. Besides being raised in an era that thought of
women as solely domestic workers, she also had to overcome the
prejudices that African-Americans were facing at that time.
However, from a young age it seemed she was almost destined for
success. Her first public appearance came when she was four years
old; she went touring the churches of Nashville where she would
deliver sermons originally given by James Weldon Johnson. Her
early fame was brought to an end when at age six she was sent to
live with her mother. There she suffered from abuse and sexual
molestation. At age 13 she ran away from home and was sent to a
juvenile detention home, however, she was denied admission, as
there were no extra beds. With a past such as this, most wo! uld
have given up. But then she was sent to her father, who as strict
as she was pushed Oprah to a higher level. At 18, a local radio
station hired her and two years later she became the anchor and
reporter of WTVF-TV. From there, she moved to another station in
Baltimore, where she got another job as reporter and also the co-host
of a morning talk show. Her ability to host gained her a show of
her own, originally called "AM Chicago", however as
time when on and its popularity grew they had to expand its time
slot to one hour and then renamed it "The Oprah Winfrey Show".
Her ability to retain integrity in a decade in which most talk
shows bordered on obscene along with her perseverance of
character made her one of the most beloved hosts in America. She
stared in memorable classics such as "The Color Purple"
and "The Native Son". Even still Oprah wanted to do
more and started her own produ! ction company which is known as
Harpo Products, Inc., who is most famous for it's adaptation of
the Toni Morrison novel "Beloved". This company also
took over the ownership and production of "The Oprah Winfrey
Show" back in 1988. Between her talk show, her acting career
and her production company, Oprah has acquired nation acclaim and
numerous awards. In fact, Forbes listed her as one of the
wealthiest and most successful women in America. Oprah has also
showed a genuine concern for her viewers. When she became
overweight Oprah researched exercise and healthy meals, which
once successful she shared with her audience. She also, being a
lover of books, started her own book club in order to encourage
more people to read. She was voted one of the most powerful and
successful women of our age because of her ability to overcome
the obstacles in her life in order to be one of the most
successful! , rich, and yet moral women in American history.
by
Frank Benedetto
Webmaster