Heroes_of_Capitalism

Heroes of Capitalism- Oprah Winfrey We all know the name ‘Oprah’. It is a name that has been in millions of households for twenty-five years. Oprah Winfrey is an internationally recognized, award winning talk show host, actress, producer, and humanitarian. She has helped lives of less fortunate in many selfless ways; what many don’t know is that Oprah was once poverty stricken as well, and rose to overcome many obstacles that came her way. Oprah was born on January 9, 1954 in an underprivileged neighborhood in Mississippi. Her childhood was a rough one, as her mother was a single, teenage, housemaid. She was sent to live with her grandmother at a young age and experienced the many heartaches of poverty and abuse my family members. Oprah knew she wanted to work in media and help people; when she was in high school, she received a part time job reciting the news for a local radio station. She worked a series of other jobs, including a low rated morning show spot in Chicago. As reviews came pouring in within months, and ratings went up, she was offered the break of her life. The Oprah Winfrey Show became nationally broadcasting on September 8, 1986 and stayed in our homes until her final episode aired on May 5, 2011. People laughed, cried, screamed, and felt with Oprah for many years. Her production company, Harpo Inc., has marketed her name from everything to her website, Oprah.com, and famous “O Magazine”, to Oprah’s Book Club. In January of 2011, she even launched her “OWN” TV Network. Oprah also got her foot in the movie industry door and did some acting and producing, in which she was critically acclaimed for. Oprah’s hard work has opened many doors for her and has gotten her recognized as recipient of some of the most prestigious awards and honors. In 1986, she hosted the 14th Annual Emmy Awards received her first nomination for Daytime Talk Show host, and by 1998, she had one 7 of those awards. Also in 1998, Oprah accepted The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2004, she won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Talk show host. Oprah has spent the majority of her career, helping and mentoring people of all ages. She has donated millions to multiple charities and is involved with organizations that seek to help underprivileged families that have dealt with poverty or abuse, and education in orphanages and third world countries; many of these charities use her name. She has received many awards for her humanitarian work. In 2004, Oprah Winfrey was named by Forbes as The first black billionaire in world history, but she did not get there over night. She strived to make a better life for herself and the lives of millions of people that have watched all of the amazing work over the years. It really is no wonder that there is a name for the world’s fascination and influence she has on others, “The Oprah Effect”. Katelynn Hauk 2/6/12 Econ 101 Spring Bibliography: Oprah’s official website: http://www.oprah.com/pressroom/Oprah-Winfreys-Official-Biography Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprah_Winfrey About.com: http://oprah.about.com/od/bookclubinfo/u/oprahmediaprojects.htm