Oprah Winfrey's recent gift of a $40 million school for girls in South Africa has raised a few eyebrows. I had reservations also, wondering why she didn't build a school in the United States. There is so much to do here for young black women. But after listening to a black radio talk show on
Sunday morning, I came away with a different perspective. One host came down hard on Oprah. He also felt that she should do more in America--even though she has already given millions to establish scholarships and recently gave millions to build homes in New Orleans. By chance, Valerie Simpson (of
Ashford and Simpson fame) called in during the listener talk-back session. She was in Africa with Oprah. "You can't direct goodness," she said. Critics should not be overly concerned with Oprah's good, Simpson added, but should find ways to do their own good. She won me over with that statement. I've never been a huge Oprah Winfrey fan, and that probably won't change. But I pray that her "good" will spreads the earth and inspires even those without access to millions.
Oprah has a vision that the girls academy in South Africa will produce leaders for the world. "These girls deserve to be surrounded by beauty, and beauty does inspire," she is quoted in Newsweek. "I wanted this to be a place of honor for them because these girls have never been treated with kindness."
Go for it, Oprah. I will keep my mouth shut---and find a way to do good myself.