We know her as the queen of daytime television.* Her face is familiar to people around the world, and she is an icon of strength and hope for the hurting, the disillusioned, and the abused. Few people, though, know the real story of Oprah’s rise to fame, wealth, and influence.
She was born on a farm outside Kosciusko, Mississippi to a soldier and a maid, who separated just after her birth. She was left in the care of her maternal grandmother, Hattie Mae Lee, who refused to see an abandoned little girl as hopeless. Instead, she inspired Oprah to aspire to bigger things—much bigger things—than her dismal situation suggested she could achieve. Her constant encouragement gave the little girl a bedrock of confidence that she could reach for the stars. Today, Oprah remembers being four years old and watching her grandmother hang clothes on a line. Her grandmother told her, “You better watch me now, Oprah Gail, because one day you're going to have to learn to do this for yourself." Even at that tender age, Oprah knew she was destined for more than that. She reflects, "There was just a spirit inside myself that said, 'No, grandmama, I won't.' ”
When she was six, Oprah moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother. While she lived there, she was molested by a teenage cousin, other male relatives and their friends. Finally, when she was 13, she ran away from home. Soon she moved to Nashville to live with her father. She could have given up in depression, exploded in rage, or given herself to promiscuity, but her grandmother’s voice echoed in her heart: She could be somebody special.
Oprah’s father valued education, and he put her through a rigorous program. For example, he wouldn’t let her sit down for dinner each evening until she had learned five new vocabulary words. His prodding and high expectations met their match in the ambitious young girl, and she thrived. Again, it was her grandmother’s direction that paved the way for her success. She recalls, “My grandmother really raised me to be who I am because of her belief in education. Even though she wasn't very educated, never finished high school, she was strong."
The first public acknowledgement of her abilities came with a $1000 scholarship for a speech in high school. Soon, other accolades followed. She became the first black woman to win Nashville’s Miss Fire Prevention title, and she was Miss Black Tennessee. Oprah landed her first job at a radio station in Nashville when she was seventeen, and two years later, a television station hired her as a news anchor. She graduated from Tennessee State University with a degree in speech communications and theater, and soon moved to Baltimore to continue her work anchoring the news, but also, to host a morning talk show, “People are Talking.” The rest, as they say, is history. She excelled in the interviews and exchanges with guests, and after eight years, a major station in Chicago asked her to host a talk show that soon was picked up by the network.
The list of Oprah’s awards and accomplishments would fill several pages. In the past few years, she has poured her influence and funds into efforts to improve the lives of desperately poor African children. Her daily television show touches millions of lives each day, and her impact is truly global. None of this, though, would have been possible if an uneducated, poor grandmother had given up on an abandoned child. Instead, she saw potential, enflamed the little girl’s dreams, encouraged her to pursue education, and inspired her with a message that said, “No matter what you’ve experienced, you can become someone special. Don’t ever quit.”
*This excerpt was taken from Terry Barber's Inspiration Factor.
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