The Father, The Son and The Oprah Winfrey

If God was a black woman, Im pretty sure her name would be Oprah Winfrey.

Yes that Oprah. The all-mighty, powerful former Queen of Daytime Talk, who wants to be loved by all, rewards her faithful flock with a few of her favorite things and preached the gospel of life lessons and positive living through her master classes. Oprah can move mountains, part seas and, with a stamp of her approval, can make any mere mortal into an overnight success. I often wonder what the world be like without Oprahs watchful eye. And when times get tough in my own personal life, I fall to my knees, in prayer and ask the heavens: what would Oprah Do?

Of course, I say this in jest but the way I hear some folks talk about the infinite power of Oprah to manipulate and influence change makes me wonder about the false power we assign to entertainers like Winfrey. There isnt a day that goes by that I dont hear or see in some context folks asking, Why hasnt Oprah done? Usually that question comes up in regards to the lack of financial support for some project or campaign happening within the community. But I have also seen it asked of just about anything including: If Oprah has so much money, why hasnt she funded the movies of every black filmmaker in Hollywood? and Oprah has her own network, so why doesnt Oprah hire more Black people? or Why hasnt Oprah did a show on late great jazz legend Phyllis Hyman (no actually thats a real question)? and If there is not enough supermarkets in the Black community, why hasnt Oprah written a few checks to have them all built? and Why hasnt Oprah waved her magic wand and put a stop to black on black crime yet? and What do you mean theyre closing schools in Detroit? You know who could fi! x that? Oprah. The list goes on and on.

Yes, there are a million things in the black community, which Winfrey has unceremoniously been given the task to fix. And with a net worth of $2.7 billion, being number 2 onForbes list of the worlds most powerful women, you can certainly understand the temptation to buy infinite amounts of share in Winfreys sway-stock. However, is it all that fair to think that Winfrey has a moral obligation to reach back a hand to elevate black women and black men and fix everything that is wrong within the Black community?

I know that there is much to admire about the woman and truth be told her philanthropic legacy is immeasurable. However if we were to measure it, Oprahs generosity comes somewhere around $350 million during her lifetime. During her reign as talk show queen, Winfrey created the Oprahs Angel Network, a charity, which provided grants to nonprofit and charitable organizations around the world. All told, the Angel Network raised upwards of $80 million dollars with 100 percent of funds going to projects like rebuilding efforts in areas ravished by Hurricane Katrina, providing scholarships to 250 African-American men continue or complete their education at Morehouse College, building parks in her homebase of Chicago and providing support for organizations, which work with the poor and AIDS-affected children in Africa. And we cant forget about the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa, which Winfrey invested $40 million of her own money to build.

Likewise, her openhandedness hasnt stopped at charity; she has used a portion of her brand in the cinema arena including producing work from Black Authors such as Gloria Naylors Women of Brewsters Place, Zora Neal Hurstons Their Eyes Were Watching God, ! The Wedd ing, Toni Morrisons Beloved as well as Spike Lees X and Lee Daniels Precious. So its not like Oprah doesnt do what she can to make the world a better place so why isnt it enough?