by Jasey Rae

Created on: September 27, 2009

In today's world, there are many motivational eminent people, Oprah Winfrey is one of them. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in rural Mississippi. Born to unwed teenage parents, there were many obstacles in her life, even as an infant. Her parents were lower- class, making it harder for them to support her.

During the first couple of years, Oprah was raised by her grandmother on a farm. She begun her "broadcasting career" while she was with her grandmother, who would make her real aloud and perform recitations when she was three. At the age of six, she moved in with her mother. While staying with her mother, Oprah was raped by her cousin at the age of nine and molested by an uncle and a family friend later on. Keeping the molestations to herself, she began to rebel and ran away constantly. Due to her insubordinate behavior, She was sent to a detention home, but was denied entrance due to the limited space. She was then sent to live with her father, Vernon Winfrey, in Nashville. Her father was very strict, but he wanted her to be the best she could be. Because of all the support and motivation Oprah had as a child, she is who she is today, a renowned television host, media mogul, and philanthropist. Her talk, show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, has earned numerous Emmy Awards and is the highest-rated talk show in the history of television. Oprah became a millionaire at the age of 32 when her talk show went national. She is believed to be the richest African American of the 20th century. She has used her money to begin Oprah's Angel Network, a charity encouraging others to help lower-class people. During Hurricane Katrina, she raised money through the network, in 2007, she funded a $40 million dollar school for girls in South Africa.

In 2008's political campaign, she endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama. She held a fundraiser in 2007 at her Santa Barbara estate. Oprah has accompanied Obama to some of his rallies in the early primary estates.
Oprah went from low class, to being one of the richest people known to the world. Her grandmother's and father's determination for her to do her best paid off. As a child, Oprah's grandmother would say that she knew Oprah was meant to be someone in life. Although Oprah had a robust childhood, she surpassed her obstacles and became one of the most loved people internationally today.

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