Oprah Winfrey
An Extraordinary Global Changemaker Who Leads with Heart
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This is a very special edition of Women Making Change.™ Dr. Cole and Oprah Winfrey have a long standing friendship and a mutual commitment to uplifting the lives of others. We hope you will be as inspired by Oprah Winfrey’s story as both of us continue to be.
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In solidarity and sisterhood,
Johnnetta Betsch Cole and Snowden McFall
wmnmakingchange.com
From Dr. Cole: “Out of the deep respect and love we each had for
Dr. Maya Angelou, my relationship with Ms. Oprah Winfrey blossomed. During my presidency of Spelman and Bennett Colleges, the only two historically Black Colleges for Women in the United States, Ms. Winfrey visited each of those institutions and blessed us with her radiant presence, her wisdom and her generosity.
Ms. Winfrey invited me to join her on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss my book Dream the Boldest Dreams. We chuckled over some of the aphorisms. And she kindly invited me and my husband to be her guests at a Legends Ball.”
“On an unforgettable evening when President Bill Clinton and the late Senator Bob Dole were my guests at a fundraising dinner at Bennett College, Ms. Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Maya Angelou were also our distinguished guests. They lit up that occasion with their presence.
I am profoundly grateful to Ms. Winfrey for how she has supported my work, including featuring the book Nelda LaTeef and I wrote entitled African Proverbs for All Ages. It is the first children’s book that Ms. Winfrey chose for her book club.
It is with an abundance of respect, admiration and love that we celebrate Oprah Winfrey, an extraordinary global changemaker whose spirit uplifts us all.”
Oprah Winfrey
“What I have known for sure is that speaking your truths is the most powerful tool we all have.”
Oprah Winfrey
The extraordinary journey of Oprah Winfrey is a testimony to what can be achieved when one speaks and lives by one’s truths.
Raised by her grandmother in a Kosciusko, Mississippi home with no running water or electricity, young Oprah Winfrey was steeped in scripture, prayer, and a deep reverence for learning. By age three, she could read, and was already passionately delivering Bible verses in church.
Even with the strength of her grandmother’s love, Ms. Winfrey had a traumatic childhood, as she suffered from sexual abuse, systemic racism, and the frequent absence of her parents. And yet, her exceptional intelligence, indomitable spirit and enduring faith laid the foundation for her to become the phenomenal woman that she is.
Similarities in her childhood and that of Dr. Maya Angelou became the basis of a rare relationship. Ms. Winfrey came to treasure Dr. Angelou as a mentor, mother, sister, and friend. “Maya Angelou was my greatest teacher. She taught me that I could be a better person, friend, and a better human being.”
Oprah Winfrey earned a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, an Historically Black University in Nashville, where she majored in communications. When she was 19 years old, she made history as the youngest and first Black woman news anchor at WLAC-TV. At 23, she co-anchored the evening news in Baltimore. Her warmth and empathy with people clashed with the hard edge of traditional news. She was reassigned to a newly launched daytime talk show called “People Are Talking,” and that turned into a great blessing.
Oprah Winfrey thrived. Her emotional intelligence when interviewing others transformed the show into a success within a year. In 1984, Chicago lured her away to host a struggling show, AM Chicago, which, in 1985 became The Oprah Winfrey Show. Under her brilliant guidance, the show went national in 1986 and led to her becoming a global media mogul and powerful influencer.
Ms. Winfrey has wisely used her platform to educate, uplift and inspire others by bringing the voices of the marginalized to the public. Advocating for social justice and human dignity, she stayed true to her values. Bravely sharing her own childhood sexual abuse, she brought national attention to trauma and healing, and she has helped millions feel seen, heard, and validated.
“Use your life to serve the world, and you will find that it also serves you.”
In her book, What I Know for Sure, Ms. Winfrey describes her ten days in 2002 with President Nelson Mandela. After their visit, Ms. Winfrey pledged to build a school in South Africa that would educate and empower young Black girls to become leaders, and she did. In 2007, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened and continues to teach future leaders.
As President Nelson Mandela once said and she put into practice: “Education is the most powerful tool to change the world.”
In 1985, OprahWinfrey made her film debut as Sofia, a courageous woman who refused to be silenced. The messages of the film: resilience in the face of oppression, the pursuit of happiness, and the claiming of one’s power mirrored what Oprah Winfrey would later explore in her programs.
Ms. Winfrey returned to The Color Purple as a producer for the 2023 musical version, shepherding the cast and introducing the movie to new generations. She has called it “a vehicle for magic and purpose.”
As the first Black woman billionaire, Oprah Winfrey has used her media empire as a highly effective platform for change. From her TV shows to her book club, Oprah Magazine and the OprahDaily.com digital site, Harpo Productions, and the OWN network, “The Oprah Podcast,” and her generous philanthropy around the world, she has continually advocated for others.
Honored with many prestigious awards, Ms. Winfrey received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 from President Barack Obama. This is the highest civilian award in the U.S. honoring individuals who have made “especially meritorious contributions” to the nation.
photo courtesy of Tennessee State University
We lift up Oprah Winfrey as an internationally beloved shero as she continues to be a champion for justice and for those who have been silenced. And she is a model of wisdom and amazing grace.
Ms. Winfrey continues to advocate for:
- The rights of girls and women
- Education and literacy
- Mental health and trauma recovery
- Empowerment and self-improvement
- Any and all marginalized people
Lessons from Oprah Winfrey’s Life:
One of the greatest lessons she taught us all is that vulnerability is a strength; it opens hearts and builds communities.“Vulnerability is the cornerstone of confidence.”
A student of many different self-improvement techniques, one of her most powerful tools is listening to her intuition. Ms. Winfrey has spoken of “the whisper,” which she has learned to pause and listen to before taking action.
“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change their future by merely changing their attitude.”
The legacy of Oprah Winfrey is every person whose life she has touched, every light she has brought to the darkness.
Action Steps You Can Take:
Like Oprah Winfrey, you can be a voice for those who have been silenced.
• How could you mentor a girl or woman who needs help?
• What dreams do you have yet to fulfill? What’s one step you could take this week?
• Spend time discovering your true purpose.
• What’s a new routine you can establish to incorporate your purpose into your life?
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