Oprah Winfrey is well known for her great deeds and generosity. In January of this year, she opened a new $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.
Recently she faced criticism for her comments regarding inner-city youth. When was asked if she would open a school similar to the one in South Africa here in the United States, Oprah said that she was tired of going to inner-city schools because their students would rather have gym shoes and iPods than school uniforms.
Oprah has always been a cut-throat, straight-to-the-point, in-your-face individual.
It’s one thing to have an opinion, but generalizing is not a good thing. Has she met every inner city student? Are inner city youth not worthy of education?
Not every child in low-income communities in America worry about material possessions. Many of them want to get out of that community as soon as possible. And Oprah should know something about that.
Oprah grew up dealing with discrimination, prejudice, judgment and criticism. She was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. In fact, she grew up poor in Mississippi.
Being a person that did not necessarily have beautiful beginnings, Oprah should understand what its like to want something, especially wanting to be a better individual. And regardless of what she may think, lots of inner city children prize education.
There are many outstanding math and science students. There are also many children who are well involved in the arts. Why can’t Oprah open up schools for those outstanding students from the inner city?
Oprah actually has a very giving spirit. But I wish that she could give our inner-city communities better schools with better books and resources. Maybe the children would appreciate the fact that a powerful individual like Oprah is giving money to their school.
It is well known that Oprah has been to inner-city schools for the last 10 years, and she may have encountered students who would rather have the next pair of Michael Jordan shoes than school uniforms. But still, these children are in school and obviously their parents want them to continue their education. If Oprah did not understand the importance of learning and education, she would not be where she is now.
Instead of talking about what the inner city community wants, Oprah should have thought of what they needed instead. Oprah had her own rags-to-riches story and should be able to relate to inner city youth. But her tremendous success and income may have caused her to forget where she came from.