Oprah Winfrey

(Oprah.com)

Oprah Winfrey is one of the most famous and powerful woman in America. With her top-ranked talk show, production company and magazine she is a one-woman media empire. She has enlightened and touched all of her viewers for the past 2 decades. Oprah Winfrey deserves the title of hero through childhood adversity and professional and cultural success she had demonstrated with the qualities of bravery, perseverance and compassion.

Oprah growing up in Mississippi (Oprah.com)

Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 to unmarried parents in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She was raised by her grandparents on a farm with very little money. From an early age she had showed a talent and love for public speaking.

At the age of 6 years, she moved to Milwaukee, WI. to live with her mother. While there, Oprah was molested by her cousin, uncle, and family friends when she was around 9 years old. In response she rebelled against her mother's authority and started to lie, steal, and run away from home. Her overwhelmed mother finally sent her home to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Destined to put her past behind her, Oprah started high school. Oprah would soon become a honor student and be crowned Miss Fire Prevention.

Oprah's Magazine

Oprah stayed in Nashville to attend Tennessee State University. At around 19 years old, she got a job at a local radio station. Two years later, she joined WTVF-TV in Nashville and was the first female and first black TV-news anchor. Later, she moved to Baltimore, Maryland to become a television news reporter. Oprah didn't think news reporting was her forte. She soon became the host of the station's morning program. Finally, she knew that being a talk-show host was what she wanted to pursue.

In 1984, she moved to Chicago to be the host of A.M. Chicago, it soon was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her show soon became a top-ranked program. Oprah's show became such a hit because of her ability to appeal to women with her compassion and understanding. Her show became a medium, not only to inform and entertain but to empower. In 1988, she opened up Harpo Studios in Chicago. Her own show would be produced by her own production company.

In 2000, Oprah introduced O, The Oprah Magazine. The magazine was geared toward women's lifestyle. It is very successful and has a circulation of around 2.3 million readers each month. Recently in 2004, she released O at Home, another magazine designed to help readers create a home reflecting their personal style.

Oprah is one of the most well known and respected philanthropists. Her private charity, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, has donated millions of dollars to organizations supporting the education and empowerment of women. Because of Oprah's abuse when she was a child she initiated the National Child Protection Act in 1991, this act would establish a national database of convicted child abusers. On December 20, 1993, President Clinton signed the national bill into law.

Her most recent donation was the 10 million dollar pledge to build a girls school in South Africa. In January 2007, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls opened its doors. The school accepted the first 152 7th and 8th grade girls who show academic excellence despite their impoverished backgrounds. Her vision is to create the future woman leaders of South Africa.

Oprah Winfrey deserves to be named a hero through her qualities of bravery, perseverance, and compassion. She has used those qualities and reached the very top and whats more, she is loved and respected by everyone who knows her.