Oprah Winfrey's Early Life

In Oprah Winfrey’s early life her name on her birth certificate was actually spelled like “Orpah,” but many people just kept mispronouncing it and so she stuck with it. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, with a teen mother. Her mother, Vernita Lee, was a housemaid and her biological father, Vernon Winfrey, was originally a coal miner, and had many positions throughout his life, at the end, he had been in the Armed Forces when she was born. Later on, Mississippi farmer and World War II veteran, Noah Robinson Sr., has claimed, then, to be her biological father.

After her birth, Winfrey’s mother traveled north while Winfrey spent six years living in poverty with her grandmother. They were so poor that Winfrey often wore dresses made out of potato sacks, and was repeatedly made fun of by the children. Hattie Mae Lee, was a humble grandmother, though, she had taught Winfrey how to read before the age of three! She often took her to the local church where she was soon nicknamed “The Preacher” for the ability to recite Bible verses. Of course with every guardian, there were rules, and Lee’s rules were that if Winfrey did not do her chores or misbehaved in any way shape or form, Lee would hit her with a stick.

At the age of six Winfrey had to frequently

She did not even let people get in the way of her dreams. She had trauma along her journey but she looked passed that. She got rejected multiple times simply because she was defined as an African American but, again, that did not stop her from following her passion. Winfrey even donates money to help those in need, and so with this, she chased her dream until she got what she wanted. Oprah Winfrey is an inspiration to not just me, but to any girl who has been rejected and has gone through a non consensual sexual act - nothing stands her way as a woman. I would definitely say she is the most successful African American woman out