Oprah Winfrey: The Rags to Riches Story

In a world where women are still learning to overcome barriers , women like Oprah Winfrey educate us on the significance of tenacity, fortitude, and remaining unbeaten. Oprah wasn’t born in a world of Malibu mansions and red carpets. She was born in rural Mississippi; a world of poverty and scarcity, which allowed her to respect and appreciate the value of the opportunities she received.

'Anything you can imagine, you can create' - Oprah

Oprah’s journey is a story of ‘rags-to-riches’. She built her multi-million dollar empire by remaining negligent of cultural norms and exceeded the expectations the world placed on her as a black woman. At the tender age of 19, she landed a job as a co-anchor at the local news. Her charisma and allure caused her to attain impressive heights as a talk show host. She became the first African-American ‘nationally syndicated television host’. At the age of 32, Oprah Winfrey was a millionaire! Today, her net worth is 2.7 billion dollars.

In 1986, Harpo Productions was launched. It is a ‘multimedia production company’ founded by Oprah. This company was the beginning of Oprah’s daytime talk show ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. Other businesses she has been involved with include Weight Watchers, True Food Kitchen, Oatly and many more.

Towards the 1990s, Oprah began to focus on social matters such as racism, gender inequality and sexual assault in her talk show. At the fragile age of 14, Oprah was molested and became pregnant. However, the baby was born prematurely and was unable to survive. Oprah uses her voice as a mouthpiece for the millions who undergo molestation, sexual assault or rape. She further discusses the societal prejudice against black people and how racism is the true pandemic prevalent in the world. She has received multiple Emmys for ‘Outstanding Talk Show Host’.

A business that Oprah is involved in, that holds prestigious value, is ‘Oxygen Media’; a television network targeted towards women.

In 2003, Oprah was the first African-American female self-made billionaire; she owes her triumph to her successful businesses Harpo Productions and The Oprah Winfrey Show.

An African-American woman, born in a world of poverty and scarcity, who paved her path as one of the richest women and world renowned entrepeneurs in the United States: Oprah Winfrey. She never fails to motivate others to chase their ambitions despite the hassles and hardships. Her book, ‘What I Know For Sure’ ‘encourages you to create the life you want by pursuing excellence, practising gratitude, and leveraging bad experiences to become stronger.’

• Veda Varma (10A)