Woman of Colour, Woman of Quality: Oprah Winfrey

In our weekly edition of “Women of color, woman of quality”, we bring you the names of inspiring women who have effected a change in our lives. These women are beautiful, mightily successful and they work their way to stardom. We adulate these women for who they are!

Oprah Winfrey

“When Oprah speaks, people listen”

Born: January 29 1954

Her story: Collectively named as one of the most influential celebrities by Time, CNN and Forbes, Oprah has an amassed worth of $2.7 billion. The successful TV anchor not only has a highly-syndicated talk show, but a magazine, website, book and radio channel all to her name. By 2011, her talk show would have been running for a quarter of a century.

Yet, her life hasn’t always been a bed of roses. She was born into poverty and was under the care of her grandmother. She was the victim of a heinous crime; child sexual abuse and she ran away from home at the age of 13. She became pregnant a year later, but her baby did not survive.

Fast forward a couple of years. Oprah became the youngest and the first black anchor at her local TV network. Her popularity soon propelled when she took over the helm of a Chicago talk show. Despite her lack of experience in TV journalism, Oprah still managed to captivate the hearts of many. With her chirpy yet down to earth personality, she soon became a celebrity to watch.

Why Her:

If Oprah isn’t a role model, we don’t know who is.

Undaunted by the immense media attention, Oprah first used her fame to bring light to social issues such as child abuse. In an unprecedented move, she shared shocking revelations of her abusive past with the audience. And that’s the thing about Oprah. If someone else had pulled such an antic, we would have thought of it as a publicity stunt. But not Oprah; she was always genuine.

She isn’t just a host with a glib tongue. She is personable and her words carry a lot of weight. She is always heartfelt. Tyra, take note. Good hosting takes more than just fluttering of your eye lids.

For someone of her success, she is surprisingly candid when it comes to talking about her own problems. She always has had weight issues, and while she has managed to keep a trim figure, she publicly admits that she has fallen off the wagon in recent times. Instead of running away from her own demons, she is determined to fight them.

She attributed her weight issues to a deeper problem; self worth. She related that she didn’t have much to begin with, and was at the constant mercy of her past boyfriends. It is hard to imagine that someone of her status would be perturbed by such emotional problems.

To see someone from a humble and troubled beginnings catapult to fame is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

She is a woman of actions. She isn’t afraid to stand up for what she believes in, even if the subject matter is taboo and controversial. She is a lobbyist for gay rights, and she daringly invites open gay celebrities onto her show. She is an active voice against domestic violence and violence against woman.

While refusing to pass judgment on the recent Chris Brown-Rihanna fiasco, she sends an important message to young impressionable girls: if a man hits you, he will hit you again.

A woman with a heart of gold, she is active in her charitable efforts. Hailed as the most philanthropic celebrity, Oprah has to date, donated more some $300 million from her own fortune. She established the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, making education a reality for girls who led an impoverished life.

Not many successful people are willing to talk about their insecurities and afflictions. Pride and ego can sometimes get in our way. We can draw a lesson from her.When we swallow our pride and reach out to others, we sometimes get the help we need. Even by the simple act of reaching out, we help others seek solace when they realize they are not alone. A true measure of one’s success is not just in his material possessions.

She sets an exemplary example to all of us. There is no shame in admitting defeat. Remember, it is not how hard you fall, but how high you bounce back from it. A person with swagger always finds a way to come out of his predicaments!