Oprah Winfrey, the most powerful woman in the world.

Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has topped Forbes’ list of the ‘World's 100 Most Powerful Celebrity’ for the second year running. Oprah, a black, is the most powerful woman on earth! Soon another black, Obama will be the most powerful man in the world residing at the White House. Not to mention the blacks dominating the world of sports and music and who can forget the Hollywood hunks, Denzil Washington, Will Smith and comedians, Eddie Murphy, Chris Tucker ,the versatile Morgan Freeman and the legendry Sydney Poitier!

At long last, Dr. Martin Luther King jr. can rest in peace - his great dream for America has come true. Dr King had said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character"

This is the story of a young girl from Mississippi, born to a poor unwed teenaged mother, raised in a broken home , subjected to repeated sexual abuse from family members (she was raped at the age of nine) and having given birth at 14 to a son who died soon afterwards, Oprah studied hard and in due course won a scholarship to Tennessee State University.

At 19, she became an anchor of Nashville's WTVF-TV station and is the first female African-American news anchor in Nashville. At 29, she took over a low-rated half-hour morning talk-show, AM Chicago and within months she made it the top-rated show. Subsequently, AM Chicago is renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. History has been created and there is no looking back for Oprah. In a field dominated by white males, she is a black woman of ample bulk but she makes it up by her genuine, frank apathy, hearty humour and above all understanding, sympathy and compassion perfectly attuned to her audience.

Oprah popularized and revolutionized talk shows by doing shows on physical and mental ailments in women , spirituality and meditation, gift-giving and home decorating shows, makeup makeovers etc. She introduced an intimate confessional form of media communication, guests with sad stories brings tears to Oprah's eye and they, in turn, reveal things they would not imagine telling anyone, much less a national TV audience. It is a talk show with group therapy session. She also brought in taboo topics of those times like gays, transsexuals, and transgender people and interviewed celebrities on issues that directly involved them. She has given credit to her team as well, who work backstage, by making them appear on her shows and highlighting their work.

At a show in 2004 she gave away to each member of the audience a new G6 sedan, the 276 cars were donated by Pontiac as part of a publicity stunt. On another show, she high lighted her Yo-Yo Dieting by wheeling in 67 lbs. of animal fat on o the stage , illustrating the weight she lost in five months on a commercial liquid diet.

Oprah is also an influential book critic- the books making it her show is a sure seller, likewise any author appearing on her show becomes a celebrity and their books bestsellers. She owns a very popular magazine O, the Oprah Magazine and a women's cable television network Oxygen. Moreover, she is the president of Harpo Productions Oprah spelled backwards.

Oprah wields so much influence that an unknown Obama’s fortunes changed when she endorsed him. But, ofcourse the majority of her audience who are white middle-aged women and supported Hillary Clinton accused her of betraying her sex.

Oprah aged 54, has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century, the most philanthropic African American of all time, and the world's only black billionaire for three straight years. Likewise she is also the first African-American celebrity to land on the cover of Vogue, in the October 1998 issue.

Oprah is a source of strength and inspiration for millions of her admirers. Her life and her work are testaments to the enormity of her generous heart. She has touched so many lives and hearts by her compassion , sympathy and understanding . She has struggled with challenges and managed to transform her life , hence, without doubt she is indeed the most influential and powerful woman in the world. Her message is clear and empowering - I did it, and so can you!

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