Can you imagine going from being unsupported and abused to being incredibly powerful? This was the journey that Oprah Winfrey took in her life. She was a great great granddaughter of slaves, and in Jackson, Mississippi, where she grew up, segregation still affected the lives of African Americans (Cooper 16). Oprah didn’t have a typical childhood, yet she would become a very successful entertainer and businesswoman. Along the way, she always knew she would succeed, and received support from many people. Despite being abused and having a difficult childhood, Oprah Winfrey’s attitude helped her become one of the most successful African American women in entertainment. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954. She had a hard childhood, and she didn’t …show more content…
Oprah believes that without her grandmother she wouldn’t be where she is today (Cooper. 20,22). Yet even as a child, Oprah never saw her future as limited. Oprah has said, “I never believed that my life. I believed I belonged to someone or something bigger than myself, my family, even Mississippi. I believed I was God’s child. Therefore, I could do anything” (Cooper 16,17). There were a lot of changes for Oprah when she moved in with her mother and sister in a new city (Cooper. 24). It was very hard because her younger sister was Vernita’s favorite (Cooper. 26), and Oprah had to take care of her. Oprah was also insecure about her looks; she wasn’t considered pretty because she had dark skin. Being told she was pretty one time, and believing it is one of the things that kept her going through the hard times (Cooper. 28). Even though Oprah’s mother wasn’t supportive, Oprah had the confidence and even told her mother that she could do whatever she wanted to do (Copper. 29). As Oprah once said, “What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come” (brainyquote.com). Later, Oprah moved in with her father, Vernon and stepmother Zelma, and she was excited to have a real family in a real house with her own bedroom. They taught her many subjects for school, and they were very supportive of her. Oprah was also supported by her teacher, Mrs. Duncan, who always stayed with her after school and taught her “how to not be afraid of …show more content…
She was working at WVOL in her first years of college. She soon left to sign on with a local television station as a reporter. She was a very good reporter so a lot of people wanted her. She moved to Baltimore, in 1976, to join WJZ-TV News so she could be a co-anchor. In WJZ-TV she co-hosted her first talk show called People Are Talking. Even though she co-hosted on a show she still managed to work a an anchor and a news reporter. In January 1984, she was invited to Chicago to host a morning program on WLS-TV. In less than a year, she turned that show into the hottest show in town. The show became an hour long, and in September 1985 it was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” All of Oprah's hard work led her to this