Oprah Winfrey
TV personality, businesswoman, actress,
philanthropist- a true renaissance woman.
Short biographies of famous social reformers.
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Oprah Gail Winfrey (January 29, 1954) is an American talk
show host and media mogul whose philanthropic ventures have
touched the lives of people all over the world. At age 17 she
was picked up by a local TV station in Nashville, Tennessee and
became the youngest person and the first black woman to
become a news anchor at the station.
Oprah Winfrey's self titled talk-show became the longest running one of it's kind. Her diverse topics of discussion attracted a large audience all over America and is syndicated
across the world. Because of this diverse audience she has
been named one of the most influential people of the world. It
is estimated that Winfrey's endorsement of Barack Obama in
the 2008 presidential elections helped him win approximately
15,96,995 votes.
Life
Oprah was born in rural Mississippi, USA. Her mother was an
unwed teenager who later worked as a maid to provide for her
family. Oprah spent much of her childhood in poverty between her grandmother who taught her to read and write, and
her father in Nashville who also took great interest in providing her with a good education.
Winfrey's break came after she won a local beauty pageant
and was offered a part-time job by a local television in Nashville to read the news. It was not before long that she was offered a full time position. By 1989 she began to host 'The
Oprah Winfrey Show' in Chicago and within a year it became
the #1 talk-show on television.
Much of Oprah's life is public knowledge through her TV
show because of her unique style of hosting. On multiple
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occasions she has shared personal details of her life on national television. She has interviewed celebrities, politicians,
musicians, and world figures including the Dalai Llama.
Oprah started The Angel Network in 1998, a charity fund that
donated to non-profit organisations across the world. In 12
years the charity acquired $8,00,00,000 , and since all the administrative costs was covered personally by her, 100% of the
money donated went to a good cause.
After an episode where Oprah went to South Africa to report
on the AIDS crisis she decided to start the Oprah Winfrey
Leadership Academy for Girls. The school offers 450 girls the
opportunity to a top education and Oprah herself teaches one
of the classes via satellite.
Project
The next time you are in a group of friends, Pick up a hairbrush
or anything that resembles a mic and interview everyone in the
room on a topic of your choice.
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