Oprah Winfrey

            
             As an actress, a television host, a communications executive, a reporter, and an African American woman, Oprah Winfrey proves to America daily that there is no stopping her. Since 1986 the Oprah Winfrey Show has dominated the world of talk programs and doesn't seem to be slowing down yet. Winfrey, the first black woman to host a nationally viewed daily talk show, worked hard to get to the top and made it clear that the obstacles she faced were not going to discourage her.
             Despite the fact that Oprah's life appears to have reached near perfection, the life that she lives now was merely a figment of her imagination while she was growing up. On January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Vernita Lee gave birth to Oprah. Original intentions were for the name "Orpah," from the book of Ruth in the Bible. However, Winfrey became known as "Oprah" after birth due to a spelling error on her birth certificate (UXL Biographies 1). 18-year-old Vernita Lee and 20-year-old Vernon Winfrey were not expecting this surprise. Vernon, who was in the service at the time, did not find out about the birth until he received a letter from Vernita requesting clothes (1). The lack of job opportunities in Kosciusko influenced Vernita to move to Milwaukee and leave her daughter behind. Oprah was left to live with Vernon's mother and had most of her time occupied attending church.
             Oprah's consistent presence in church quickly provided a chance for her talent of speaking and reading to be unmasked. At the innocent age of three years old she made her debut speaking in holiday programs (DISCovering Biography 1). It was apparent to the people that this little girl was talented. On top of her outstanding routines in church, Oprah excelled in the classroom as well. Little did she know these exceptional skills would lead her to becoming a major American personality.
             A few years later she moved to Milwaukee to live with her mother once again.