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| Oprah's Life | Links |
| Oprah's Influence on American Society | Bibliography |
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January 29, 1954: Oprah Winfrey born in Kosciusko, Mississippi
to unmarried parents
1971: Competes in Miss Black America pageant
Named Miss Fire Prevention
Enrolls in Tennesse State University to study speech and performing
arts
Lands her first broadcasting job as a reporter for WVOL radio
station in Nashville
1973: Named Miss Black America
Becomes the first African-American and first woman hired as a
TV news anchor in Nashville, Tennesse
1977: Hired in Baltimore, Maryland to co-anchor the six
o'clock news
Recruited to co-host WJZ-TV's local morning show People are
Talking in Baltimore
1984: Moves to Chicago to host WLS-TV's morning talk show
AM Chicago; this show becomes the number 1 talk show in
one month
In less than a year, AM Chicago expands into the one hour
talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show
1985: Winfrey is nominated for a Golden Globe and an
Academy Award (Best Supporting Actress) for her role as Sofia
in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple
1986: The Oprah Winfrey Show is syndicated throughout
the nation
Winfrey plays the role of "Mrs. Thomas" in Native
Son
1987: Hosts the 14th annual Daytime Emmy Awards
1989: Produces and stars in the miniseries The Women
of Brewster Place
1990: Hosts the 17th annual Daytime Emmy Awards
Makes a cameo appearance on TV's The Fresh Prince of Belair
Executive produces and stars in the TV series Brewster
Place
1991: Initiates the National Child Protection Act,
testifying in front of the US Senate Judiciary Committee to establish
a national database for convicted child abusers
1992: Hosts the Essence Awards
Produces and hosts the TV special Oprah: Behind the Scenes
1993: President Clinton signs the "Oprah Bill,"
which creates a national database for convicted child abusers
Hosts One Child, One Dream: the Horatio Alger Awards
Produces and stars in the TV movies There Are No Children
Here
1995: Runs the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington,
DC for her 40th birthday
1996: Receives the George Foster Peabody Individual Achievement
Award and the International Radio and Television Society's Gold
Medal Award
Begins the Oprah Book Club; all the books that have been selected
by Oprah have been New York Times bestsellers
1997: Is named one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People
Named Newsweek's most important person in books and media
Named TV Guide's Television Performer of the year
Launches Oprah's Angel Network, which encourages people to open
their hearts and give back to the community (projects include
"The World's Largest Piggy Bank," which raised money
to send teenagers to college, and helping with habitat for Humanity)
Executive produces and stars in the TV movie Before Women Had
Wings
Plays "Ellen's Shrink" on the prime time TV show
"Ellen"
1998: Named one of the 100 Most Influential People of the
20th Century by Time Magazine
Receives the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences'
Lifetime Achievement Award
Announces that she will continue to produce and host her daytime
TV show until 2002
Is one the cover of Vogue Magazine
Winfrey stars as "Sethe" in the movie version of Toni
Morrison's Beloved
Announces that she will begin Oxygen Media, Inc. - a cable
channel and interactive network for women
1999: Becomes "Professor Winfrey," teaching along
with Stedman Graham at Northwestern University's J.L. Kellogg
Graduate School of Management
***Oprah has won an Emmy for The Oprah Winfrey Show
in 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997 (Best Host of
a Talk Show)
***The Oprah Winfrey Show was the number 1 daytime
talk show for 14 seasons straight
Oprah's life sounds like a story Horatio Alger would write: a story of "Rags to Riches." Born to unwed parents in the still segregated and racist Mississippi, Oprah led a poor and tough childhood. She was a victim of both physical and sexual abuse. Now, at age 46, Oprah is an African American TV sensation, a billionaire and a role model to millions. Oprah has literally touched the lives of millions of viewers, as seen by her die-hard fans and her number one ratings: "[Oprah] has been making that difference for millions of viewers, young and old, black and white, for nearly a dozen years"(1). Despite the fact that Oprah is a black woman, a member of a group that has been in a subordinate position both on racial and gender lines for nearly all of America's history, she has become possibly the most influential and successful TV personality ever. One of the abilities that Oprah has that has made her such a phenomena is her capability to cross lines of race: she fully opens herself to her audience and therefore, the audience opens up to her. As one viewer said, "You can identify with Oprah because she's open, not prejudiced in any way, and she makes you feel good in the morning"(2).
Oprah's Goals
Throughout her life, Oprah has focused on influencing and
touching people's lives. She has not let her race affect these
goals. An article written after Oprah's appearance in the slavery
themed movie Beloved explained Oprah's attachment to these
goals. "Winfrey said making the movie reminded her of her
history and her responsibility as a Black woman in a position
of power and influence in the TV industry to make a difference
in people's lives. She was inspired to help people take better
control of their lives and destinies"(3). Oprah has held
onto this goal strongly throughout her career. After she completed
Beloved, Oprah commented: "And I realized that I had
no right to quit coming from a history of people who had no voice,
who had no power, and that I have been given this - - this blessed
opportunity to speak to people, to influence them in ways that
can make a difference in their lives and to use just that"(4).
Oprah realizes that because she is one of the few black women
to ever have had a voice in American society, she must use it.
However, she does not restrict her efforts to that of her race.
She has expanded more so than any other black woman in history
in terms of venturing out of her race and touching people of all
ethnicities. By doing so, Oprah has helped degenerate some of
the strict lines between different races in America.
Crossing Lines
One reason why Oprah has been so influential in American society
is because she has been able to reach all different people: not
just African Americans and not just women. In other words, she
has crossed racial and gender lines despite her being an African
American woman. Cassandra Hayes, senior editor for Black Enterprise,
said "People don't tend to look at Oprah as just a black
talk show host. She cuts across all marks and all genres"(5).
She has made a difference in the lives of people of all gender
and race. CNN movie reviewer Paul Tatara said in an article: "Winfrey's
ability to communicate with the unseen millions on a homey, grass-roots
level is just about unequaled in the history of television. She's
like an empowering Arthur Godfrey. She's also the first black
woman to become a major influence in the world of entertainment,
and she rightfully receives loads of praise for it"(6). Her
ability to cross these strict lines that American society has
placed on its citizens has made her so incredibly influential
and successful.
Oprah's Deeper Connection to African American Society and
to Women
Despite her ability to cross racial lines, Oprah still feels
a deep connection to African American society, as anyone would
guess. Also, the majority of her audiences remain to be women
and African Americans. People have praised her as "a role
model for black youth"(7) and a leader of American women.
Her connection to black society can be seen in many realms. Oprah
has focused her theatrical career on movies and TV series based
on the growth and lives of African Americans. The most blatant
examples of this are her roles in The Color Purple and
Beloved. Alice Walker's The Color Purple is focused on
the black community in early 20th century and Toni Morrison's
Beloved is based on slavery. Also, Oprah has been a primary philanthropist
in black society. She has given to Morehouse College, a black
college, as well as to a Chicago high school and Boys and Girls
Club. After donating $1 million to Morehouse College in 1998,
Oprah said, "The door to freedom is education, and to see
these young men to lead lives of scholarship, leadership and public
service"(8).
Also, Oprah has spurred a movement to helping women through their
problems. The most blatant example of this is the creation of
the Oxygen Network, a web site and an effort solely devoted to
women. She is featured on a number of women based websites. One
website in particular said: "[Oprah] has been praised by
women's groups for everything from her entertainment skills and
financial acumen to her honest approach to her weight problems"(9).
What makes Oprah such an influence on American culture is her
ability to do this: appeal to a large audience, but also make
society aware of her African American race and culture. She receives
avid support from all people, which makes her a genuine "angel"
in the eyes of many of her viewers and fans.
Oprah, through her talk show, her book
club, her angel network and her philanthropy, has had one of the
greatest influences on the American society. What makes Oprah's
story especially amazing is that she has done it despite her race
and her gender. As a successful African American, she has shown
American society what blacks are capable of. As a women, she has
dominated in what some may consider a patriarchal society. An
article in Time Magazine summed up Oprah's influence in
American society: "When Winfrey talks, her viewers-an estimated
14 million daily in the US and millions more in 132 other countries-listen"(10).
Don't count on Oprah's fame ending time soon. She has made a permanent
mark on American history.
(1) http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/winfrey.html
(2) Nelson, Jill. "For the Daytime Queen, Vulnerability Wins
Out."
(3) Jet. "Oprah Winfrey reveals the real reason why she stayed
on TV."
(4) Ibid. 3
(5) http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9812/03/slavery/movies/
(6) Ibid. 5
(7) http://stage.compuserve.com/women/oprah.asp
(8) Jet. "Oprah Winfrey gives another million to Morehouse
College; graduates call her "an angel."
(9) Ibid. 7
(10) Ibid. 1
Oprah's Official Site At this site, you can find information about Oprah's daytime talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. Features include Oprah's Angel Network, Oprah's Book Club, current articles about Oprah and more. If you want to find current info on the TV sensation, check this site out.
Oprah's Oxygen Network Created by Oprah, this site focuses on the development of women. It is an example of only one way Oprah crosses lines and touches everybody, not just the African American community.
An Interview with Oprah This site features an in-depth interview with Oprah about her most recent feature film, Beloved. Oprah talks a lot about slavery and the effects of it on herself and on American society in the interview.
Yet Another Interview with Oprah Another interview with Oprah about her most recent film, Beloved. This one is "well-rounded" too, whatever that means.
Oprah's Commencement Speech for Wellesley College This site has the text of Oprah's speech to the graduating class of 1997 of Wellesley College. Its interesting...check it out!
Nelson, Jill. "For Daytime Queen, Vulnerability Wins Out." The Washington Post. 19 July 1987.
Okwu, Michael. "Slavery doesn't sell on big screen."
CNN 3 Dec. 1998: 11 Nov. 2000
< http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9812/03/slavery/movies/>
"Oprah Winfrey gives another million to Morehouse College; graduates call her "an angel." Jet. 8 Dec. 1997.
"Oprah Winfrey reveals the real reason why she stayed on TV." Jet. 24 Nov. 1997.
"Oprah: Role Model and Icon." Compuserve: Women. 11 Nov. 2000.
Tannen, Deborah. "The TV Host Oprah Winfrey." Time Magazine 9 Nov. 2000 <http://www.time.com/time/time100/artists/profile/winfrey.html>
Tatara, Paul. "'Beloved' is loud Oprah vehicle to Oscar."
CNN 20 Oct. 1998: 12 Nov. 2000 < http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Movies/9810/20/review.beloved/>
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