Winfrey for the Win

A new day certainly is on the horizon. Oprah Winfrey is considering running for President of the United States. With such a prestigious and honorable position comes immense responsibility. Nevertheless, Oprah has proven throughout her life that she is more than capable of running our country as the first female African American president.

At the 75th Golden Globe Awards, Oprah received a standing ovation for her motivational and presidential speech. She assured her audience that a “new day is on the horizon,” in which the women of Hollywood overcome sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace. For these eight minutes, Oprah resembled a potential American president: someone who acknowledges the hard work of men and women over the course of American history who have fought to make the world a better place. Beginning with her inspiring story of watching the first black man to win the Cecil B. DeMille award in 1964, Oprah’s speech focused on inclusivity. Her uplifting speech offered Americans what President Donald Trump’s demeaning rhetoric cannot. Onstage and off, Oprah remains one of the most hardworking, caring, and inspiring celebrities and would make an incredible president.

Though Oprah is one of the wealthiest women in America, she cannot be defined by her net worth, but by the many contributions she has made as a philanthropist. Some of her most notable advancements in human welfare, such as the creation of her own bill and the construction of a South African high school, revolve around a main goal of hers: to provide greater opportunities for disadvantaged children.

Having gone through a difficult childhood herself, she converts her past hardships into motivation for creating reforms to protect children whose voices often go unheard. Using her platform to spread awareness on the issue of child predators, she announced her support for the PROTECT Our Children Act on her Oprah Winfrey Show. Testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, her “Oprah Bill,” which advocated for a national database for convicted child abusers, passed in 1993. Furthermore, 12 years later, Oprah featured the Oprah’s Child Predator Watch List on her show in hopes that everyone on the wanted predator list would be caught.

14 years after the Oprah Bill, she established The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa aiming to educate and empower young girls. Oprah founded this high school to improve the education of poor children by providing the “exposure and opportunity [to] nurture them to understand their own power and possibility.” According to a study by Girls’ Education Monitoring, African children’s participation in formal schooling, specifically girls, decreases in HIV-prevalent areas. With the majority of the student body made up of South African girls from HIV and AIDS infected families, Oprah wished to change the way South African culture limited the capabilities of women. While Oprah has spent millions building the school, its principal is most thankful for her talent and how “she’s present, she is amongst the students. That is a very unique feature for any founder of a school to be so personally invested.”

Representation in government is crucial. Having a woman of color holding the highest national office would be inspirational for young women and men of color. Oprah may pave the road for more women of color to participate in the American government. A study by Jennifer Lawless of American University’s Women and Politics Institute revealed that women are much less likely than men to think that they are qualified to run for office and to receive the suggestion to run for office. It had also concluded that “barriers to women’s interest in running for office can be overcome only with major cultural and political changes.” As the first black female president, Oprah can inspire young women to pursue careers in politics. Such increased representation of women in the government may help tear down social and cultural limits of women, strengthen their image as leaders, and increase awareness on policies that affect women and center around social and gender equality.

Oprah, a once economically disadvantaged child who worked her way up through hard work, can empathize with and provide Americans with a relatable and reliable voice. Coming from poverty and as a survivor of sexual assault, Oprah can understand and effectively pass policies helping the disadvantaged. With her platform and influence, she can transform this power into a voice fighting for affordable education for all children, empowerment of young girls, and against child abuse. By believing in a brighter future for America and using her knowledge and success in past government affairs, she can work toward decreasing rates of sexual harassment and child abuse while increasing female representation in politics and in higher levels of education. Oprah can truly transform our country into a safer one for our current generation and for those to come.