Makenna Lee
Mrs. Rowell
Honors U.S. History
2 February 2015
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Winfrey is an African American film actress, talk show host, television producer, and philanthropist. She was born on January 29, 1954 as Oprah Gail Winfrey in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She was born to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey on an isolated farm. Her planned name was supposed to be Orpah, however, it was difficult to spell and pronounce, so she was known as Oprah almost from birth. Oprah’s parents were unmarried which caused her to be taken care of her maternal grandmother on the farm. When Oprah was living with her grandmother, it was very strict in the household. She learned how to read at the age of two and a half years old. When Winfrey was in Kindergarten,
…show more content…
Within the first year, the audience reached ten million people and grossed $125 million. The goal of The Oprah Winfrey Show was to teach, inspire, and provide viewers with a positive and uplifting experience. Oprah eventually received ownership from ABC which allowed her to take control of her new production company. The company, Harpo Productions, made more money than ever. Oprah announced that she was going to end her contract with ABC in 2011 and create her own network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). Oprah’s very own network launched on January 1, 2011. Sadly, the network had a rough start, but it eventually picked back up. In the last season of Oprah’s talk show, she revealed that she has a half-sister named Patricia. Patricia was born in 1963, and at that point, Oprah was nine years old and she was living with her father. Oprah’s mother gave up Patricia for adoption because she did not feel that she could take care of her. Patricia lived in many foster homes until she was seven years old. Patricia tried to reconnect with her birth mom, however, Vernita Lee would not allow Patricia to meet her. According to Winfrey on her show, “It was one of the greatest surprises of my life.” A big achievement for Oprah was in November 2013. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This award is the nation’s highest civilian