Friday, January 12, 2007

Giving Up on America? Another Thought On Oprah.........

I'm not going to beat this Oprah thing into the ground, but there are diverging views on her donation. Oprah reportedy said, "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there. If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers." The sentiment may be somewhat true. However, there's a sense of fatalism here regarding American kids. Hey, if this is the reality, let's buckle down and face it. Running across the globe won't make it go away. I may be waffling on the Oprah issue. This is true.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Oprah's School


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.