Oprah Winfrey has once again showed the world the power of love and believing in one’s self.
Sitting down to talk with her ‘daughters’, recent graduates of The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, the media proprietor opens up about her experiences with love and the power of belief and empowerment. This interview was a part of The Huffington Post’s new interview series Talk To Me (the interview can be viewed here).
Winfrey has never been one to shy away from social issues, being a key advocate for LGBTQI+ rights, as well as often speaking out about sexual abuse and other inequalities, sharing her own personal experience. Winfrey’s establishment of her academy has opened up the doors of opportunity to so many young African women and has inevitably changed and touched the lives of all involved. It is incontestable that Winfrey is one of the ground shakers of her generation.
A name on the 2016 Forbes Billionaires List, Winfrey is rich beyond the confines of money, sharing her invaluable advice and stories with the young graduates.
“I want you to live the fullest, truest height of expression of yourselves. You are going to fall. The very nature of moving through life is at some you’re going to stumble, but when you stumble it just means oops, detour. Got to move in another direction”.
In a moment of true inspiration, Winfrey explains to the graduates that they deserve every opportunity and whilst they may unfortunately witness or experience inequality in their lives, they are not standing alone.
These young and empowered women stand there with the support of every coloured woman that has come and fought before them for “there are generations who have worked to get you here”. Winfrey then recites Maya Angelou, American poet and civil rights activist, quoting she “feels sorry for everybody that is not a black woman.” This is something Winfrey wholeheartedly celebrates, knowing exactly who she is and where she has come from. In regards facing adversity, Winfrey recites Angelou expressing, “I come as one, but stand as ten thousand,” a truly touching moment.
Winfrey then follows this by making a light joke, saying that she continues to walk into boardrooms often noticing that she is the only woman there, and certainly the only woman of colour present, thinking “whoa, still nobody else is in here? When are you going to get some brown people on this board? Come on. Let’s get with it.” Equality in all aspects of our lives, the personal and professional, needs to be achieved.
When asked what her wishes were, Winfrey simply replied, “your happiness.” A reminder to us all to love and be loved in return on this journey we all take on the road of life.
This was a truly emotive moment where Winfrey would not have been the only person reaching for tissues as viewers too felt the power and warmth of this beautiful and genuine woman.