Faces of Milwaukee: Oprah Winfrey

It is hard to not stand in wonder of the life lead by today's subject. Oprah Winfrey, rising from dire poverty and abuse to become one of the wealthiest and most recognizable people in the world, "Orpah" Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi to a teenage mother, her biblical name transformed into "Oprah" after endless mispronunciation. Winfrey moved to Milwaukee when she was 6 but her mother struggled to care for her and her younger sister, and she spent time bouncing between Milwaukee and Tennessee. She revealed later in her life that she suffered extensive sexual abuse from family members during this time. Despite this, she was an outstanding student and through her success in the Upward Bound program, was able to attend Nicolet High School. At Nicolet she felt out of place among wealthy classmates and began to steal money from her mother to keep up appearances which lead to her being sent back to Tennessee.

She thrived in Tennessee, first winning the Miss Black Tennessee Pageant at age 17 and through that landing a part-time job reporting the news for a local Black radio station, After winning an Oratory contest, she earned a full scholarship to Tennessee State University to study Communications. After college, she worked her way up in local media, eventually becoming the youngest news anchor and first Black female anchor at WLAC in Nashville. In 1984 she moved to Chicago after being offered the chance to host AM Chicago, a low-rated morning talk show. It took only months for the show to become the most popular talk show in Chicago. From there she took a syndication deal to make the show available nationwide as The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her show quickly became the most popular talk show in America, moving past Donahue, who had pioneered the "tabloid talk show" format that Winfrey originally adopted and then moved beyond.

Although she ended The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2011, she continues to produce occasional specials and leaves behind a mostly positive, but complex legacy. She transformed the industry, moving from sensationalism to a more confessional approach that drew in viewers with compelling personal stories, Winfrey's disarming compassion and warmth getting guests to reveal deep truths despite the public forum. Through her immense celebrity, anything she threw her support behind, from her famous book club selections to presidential candidate Barack Obama, became an instant hit. Some of the individuals and causes she supported, in particular the questionable science proffered by guests like Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil, have drawn criticism, but there is no questioning her generosity. She was the first Black person to land in the top 50 most generous Americans, and has given hundreds of millions of dollars to educational and humanitarian causes. She remains a powerful figure in American media, able to influence elections and purchasing decisions through her legions of fans.