Why Oprah Winfrey Is Important

American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in the rural town of Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954 to Vernita Lee and Vernon Winfrey. Vernita and Vernon had Oprah at a young age and never were married to each other during the time of Oprah’s birth. Oprah Winfrey had a difficult adolescents living with her mother, she was sexually abused by male relatives and friends of her mother. Oprah ran away from home and was sent to a juvenile detention center. Around this time she gave birth to a premature boy that died soon after his birth. Later she became under the supervision of her strict father Vernon Winfrey in Nashville. While Oprah was in high school, she began her broadcasting career as a newswoman for a Nashville radio station. In 1971, she entered Tennessee State University, and shortly later became a television news anchor for a Nashville station. In 1976, Oprah went to Baltimore and for a short time worked as a reporter and co-anchor for their ABC affiliate. However, she found that objective reporting wasn’t something she enjoyed, especially since she displayed so much emotion and personal involvement in her reporting. She soon moved on to become co-host of a local talk show called People Are Talking. The show was very successful, and Oprah found her fit as a talk show host. This is how her career began. In 1984, Oprah went to Chicago to host and help a struggling talk show called A.M. Chicago. After Oprah was on A.M. Chicago it became a very popular within a year and eventually it was renamed and called The Oprah Winfrey Show. This show became national and Oprah was the first Black African American to have her own talk show on national television. Oprah believed that education is the door to freedom, offering a chance at a brighter future. Through her