Lifespan and Development Paper

Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi to an extremely poor family. Her parents were unmarried teenagers. Her father, Vernon Winfrey, was a soldier. Her mother, Vernita Lee, was a housemaid. Oprah was raised by her grandmother on a farm where she “began her broadcasting career” by learning to read aloud and performing recitations at the age of three. From age six to thirteen she resided in Milwaukee with her mother. After experiencing abuse and molestation, Oprah ran away and was sent to a juvenile detention home at the age of thirteen, but was denied admission due to all the beds being filled. As a last resort she was sent to live with her father, who was very strict. Vernon Winfrey ensured Oprah met her midnight curfew as well as his requirement for her to read a book and write a report each week.http://google.com Oprah states that her father was only concerned with her making the best of her life and that he would not accept anything less than what he considered as her best. Oprah’s broadcasting career began at age seventeen, when she was employed by WVOL radio in Nashville, and was signed with WTVF-TV in Nashville as a reporter/anchor two years later.

In 1976, Oprah moved to Baltimore to work for WJZ-TV news as a co-anchor. In 1978 she became co-host of WJZ-TV’s “People are Talking,” while continuing her positions as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, Oprah went to Chicago to hose WLS-TB’s “AM Chicago,” a wavering local talk show. In less than one year she turned “AM Chicago” into the most successful show in town. The format was soon expanded to one hour and in September 1985 it was renamed “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

The Oprah Winfrey show has been shown nationally since September 8, 1986 and has become the number one talk show in the national syndication in less than a year. In June 1987, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” received three Daytime Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Host, Outstanding Talk/Service Program, and Outstanding Direction. In June 1988, The Oprah Winfrey Show received its second consecutive Daytime Emmy Award as Outstanding Talk/Service Program, and Oprah received the International Radio and Television Society’s “Broadcaster of the Year” Award. She was the youngest person and only the fifth woman ever to receive the honor in IRTS’s twenty five year history.

Oprah performance in The Color Purple earned her nominations for an Oscar and Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress. Her love of acting prompted her to form her own production company, HARPO Productions Inc. in 1986. In 1988 HARPO Productions acquired ownership and all production responsibilities for The Oprah Winfrey Show from ABC, making Oprah the first woman in history to be the owner and producer of her own talk show.

Oprah was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time Magazine, and in 1998 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 1999 she was presented with the National Book Foundation’s 50th anniversary gold medal for her service to books and authors. http://yahoo.com

Oprah has long believed that education is the door to freedom, offering a chance to a brighter future. Through her private charity called “The Oprah Winfrey Foundation,” she has awarded hundreds of grants to organizations that support the education and empowerment of women, children, and families in the United States and around the world. She has donated millions of dollars toward a providing better education for students who have merit but no means. She has also developed schools to educate thousands of underserved children and created “The Oprah Winfrey Scholars Program”, which gives scholarships to students determined to use their education to give back to their communities in the United States.

Oprah’s commitment to children also led her to initiate the National Child Protection Act in 1991when she testified in order to establish a national database of convicted child abusers. On December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed the national “Oprah Bill” into law. http://yahoo.com

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