At age six Oprah was sent to live with her mother in Milwaukee. They lived in one room of another woman's house. Her mother worked long, tiring hours and Oprah was left with her cousins, and neighbours. At night Oprah's mother was too tired to pay attention to her. Oprah didn't understand this. It was then that she began to disobey and talk back to her mother. Her mother knew Oprah was unhappy, and she was sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father was now married to Zelma, Oprah's stepmother.
Oprah knew that she had to obey her father and stepmother. While living in Nashville Oprah was forced to do pages of addition and subtraction questions each day. On Sundays she went to church, where she attended Sunday school and did recitals. One day, Oprah's mother called and told her that she was pregnant. She wanted Oprah to come back and live with her in a house, not a room. So Oprah went back to live with her mother in Milwaukee.
In Milwaukee Oprah lived with her mother and half sister. While Oprah's mother worked long, hard hours, Oprah entertained her little sister. Two years later her mother had a baby boy. Oprah had a stepbrother. It was then that Oprah was saddened; she felt that her mother didn't give her as much attention as the other children. Oprah fought with her stepbrother and sister. She began telling lies to get what she wanted. It didn't work though. This was when Oprah began to attempt running away. Oprah thought that things could never get worse.
When Oprah was nine a nineteen year old, male, cousin, who was babysitting her, took advantage of her by sexually abusing her. Oprah was terrified and never told a sole. He took her to the zoo, and gave her ice cream so that she'd swear to silence. From then until the day that Oprah left Milwaukee she was raped by her cousin, a family friend, her mum's live in boyfriend, and a once favourite uncle. All four told her that if she ever told, they'd both be in a lot of trouble. Oprah became more of a problem, and her mother didn't know what to do with her anymore. At fourteen her mother looked into sending her to a girls home, but all the beds were full. Then her father called, and it was decided that she'd go back to Nashville.
Oprah knew that in Nashville she had to follow her father and stepmother, and that she could not be a problem any longer. She was given new clothes, a set of rules, a twelve o'clock curfew, and some tasks; she had to read and do a book report on a book each week, as well as memorize five new words each day. If she hadn't done her tasks she would not be given any food. Oprah had good study habits.
The last year of high school brought a lot of fulfilment to Oprah, she went to Hollywood where she saw production studios. When her drama class was rehearsing, a local radio station, WVOL, asked her if she'd like to read on the radio. They gave her a job reading the news. Oprah entered a public speaking contest that had a scholarship to Tennessee State University as a grand prize. She won the scholarship and started taking a degree in Speech Communications and Performing Arts. That year she worked at the radio station and studied at night. Despite all of this she entered the Miss Black Tennessee contest, and, once again, she surprised herself by winning.
Oprah was desperately trying to gain her father's freedom. She decided to look for work outside of Nashville. A few months before she graduated with a degree she was offered a full-time job in Baltimore, Maryland as a reporter. She had to decide between the job and graduating; she chose the job because it presented such a great opportunity. Oprah found it hard not to show her opinions, and not to cry while telling a sad story. She wasn't a good reporter, and at twenty-two she was fired from her reporting job. Her boss set her up for a job as a co-host of a morning talk show called "People Are Talking." After the first show Oprah knew that this is what she wanted to do, it was how she could be herself. Oprah made the show popular, and after seven years she decided it was time to move on.
In 1981 Oprah sent "People Are Talking" tapes to a talk show in Chicago called "A.M. Chicago." They immediately offered her the job, and in September of 1985 they changed the name of the show to "The Oprah Winfrey Show." On September 8, 1986 the show was broadcasted nationally. In June of 1987 "The Oprah Winfrey Show" won three Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Direction, Outstanding Host, and Outstanding Talk/Service Program. The following year the show won a Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Talk/Service Program. In 1988 Oprah received the International Radio and Television Society's "Broadcaster of the Year" Award. She is the youngest person and fifth woman to ever receive this award.
Television history was made when HARPO Productions, Inc. announced that they assumed all production and ownership responsibilities of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Oprah was the first person to run her own show and own her own production company. When Oprah's manager/partner/lawyer told her, "You know, you could own your own show" she thought he was crazy. Oprah didn't think that it was possible, and she told him to, "dream on." Oprah bought HARPO productions because she wanted more control over herself, and her lifestyle.
Oprah remembers standing on her grandmother's porch and thinking, not out of hatred, "My life won't be like this. My life won't be like this, it will be better." Oprah recalls her father being very strict, but today she loves him for it. She says he was a big influence in her life. He always wanted Oprah to make the best of her life, and he wouldn't accept anything less than her best.
Oprah knows that as long as she is making a difference in people's lives she will continue with her show. She started out as a determined little girl who made her dreams come true. Oprah has become a financially successful woman. She has touched many people's lives; she's laughed and cried with them. Today she mentors millions of people worldwide. Her dreams came true because she took a risk, by leaving school and taking a job as a news reporter in Chicago.
Bibliography
http://www.fembio.org/women/oprah-winfrey.shtml