Oprah Winfrey: A Social Activist

“Turn your wounds into wisdom,” Oprah Winfrey once famously proclaimed. In this quote, she attempted to spread the message that using past experiences - either positive or negative - can help you make decisions in the future. Oprah Winfrey is a highly influential philanthropist with a passion for giving back to her community. In other words, Oprah can be described as a civic leader, a person that guides and inspires others. She is the forefront of multiple foundations, including the Angel Network, an endeavor that collects money for charitable initiatives, and the Oprah Winfrey Foundation. She has been a well-respected talk show host and actress for over 25 years, acquiring various honorees and awards, including the Bob Hope Humanitarian

Oprah stated, “During my first visit to Nelson Mandela's home, in 2002, I pledged to build a school for girls in South Africa because he and I both discussed and agreed that education was a way to end poverty in the nation of South Africa.” One of her main goals was to reduce the level of poverty in South Africa by offering free education to intellectual young women. Besides donations and fundraisers, Oprah funds the leadership foundation on her own means. In other words, she uses her hard earned money to provide educational and leadership opportunities for girls coming from impoverished backgrounds. One of her other philanthropic endeavors includes her very own Angel Network. The Network collects millions of dollars to provide grants and donations for charitable organizations (Koch). By creating such accomplished charities, Oprah exhibits her genuine desire to offer possibilities for less-fortunate people and displays her civic

In Hawaii, it is difficult to ship foods in without causing a large carbon footprint. Oprah, being an avid environmentalist, decided to provide locally sourced produce in place of shipped produce. She commented on her farm saying, “It felt like we were not using the land to its ultimate potential and purpose and giving back to the people of the land, so right now, we're growing all these vegetables.” In addition to supplying produce, she donates all wares to restaurants and food-based charities (Ganchrow). This farm’s purpose is yet another way Oprah demonstrates her civic responsibilities and desire to