Oprah Winfrey Biography - Profile (2)

Oprah Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on January 29, 1954 to an impoverished Baptist family. She was originally named Orpah Gail Winfrey, after the Bible's Book of Ruth. The midwife switched the "r" and the "p" around when she was writing the birth certificate so.

Biography and Career :

Oprah Winfrey's mother, Vernita Lee, was a housemaid, and her father, Vernon Winfrey, was a coal miner and, later, a barber; then, city councilperson.When Oprah Winfrey was born,Vernon was in the Armed Forces.

Her parents were unmarried teenagers when she was born. After Oprah Winfrey was born, her mother traveled north for better job opportunities, and Winfrey spent her first six years living with her Grandma Haitee Mae.

Oprah Winfrey's grandmother taught her to read and took her to the local church, where she was nicknamed "The Preacher" for her ability to recite Bible verses. Her grandmother helped her succeed. When Oprah Winfrey was little her grandmother would take a switch (in the South, that custom meant the thin green leafless shoot from certain trees - more for psychological effect than for pain) and would hit her with it when she didn't do chores or if she misbehaved in any way.

As a child, Oprah Winfrey showed signs of extraordinary intelligence and drive, such as learning to read at age two. At age six, Oprah Winfrey moved to Milwaukee with her mother, who was less supportive and encouraging than her grandmother. While there, Oprah Winfrey suffered abuse for her comparatively darker skin, such as being forced to sleep on the porch in the cold, and verbal abuse based on her features. Oprah Winfrey claims that she was raped at age 9, and repeatedly molested by her mother's cousin's boyfriend. After that she had to turn for support to her best friend, Amanda Oser. Oprah Winfrey became progressively sexually promiscuous, and at age 14 her mother sent her to live with her father in Nashville, Tennessee. Vernon was strict but encouraging, and made her education a priority. Oprah Winfrey became an honors student and received a full scholarship to Tennessee State University, a historically Black institution, where she studied communications. At age 18, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant.
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