Sojourner talked about the rights of blacks and women, but she also backed
up that talk with action. Slaves often found it difficult integrating back into
society. If slavery is all you’ve ever known, you don’t know what it’s like to
be a citizen. Finding work and a home you can afford can be a challenge. And
despite the law, discrimination is still rampant—though laws may stress
equality, attitudes take time to change. Sojourner not only talked about
change, but she rolled up her sleeves and went to work, helping slaves find
their way in a new “free” society.
Oprah is the first female African-American billionaire ever. She could
easily sit back, enjoy the fruits of her labor, travel, have fun, and have more
money than she could ever know what to do with.
But she knows how to use her wealth and influence to help others.
Her generosity is evident every single show, when she gives away thousands
of dollars of awards, prizes, and scholarships to those making a difference, to
those in need. She supports education and gives financial assistance to Morehouse
College, Tennessee State
University, and the Chicago Academy
of the Arts, to name a few.
In 1994, she used her influence to help support the National Child
Protection Act, a bill eventually signed into law by President Clinton. The law
means that there is now a national registry of the names of child abusers.
Those who hire people to work with children have a roster with which they can
screen new applicants, making the world a little safer for kids. It’s easy to
see how Oprah has taken the tragedy of her own childhood and transformed it to
help others.
It’s amazing to see the strides women have made today. Considering how much
of history they’ve been repressed and discriminated against, women have come a
long way in a relatively short period of time.
With women like Sojourner and Oprah leading the way,