Our
country has a rich history of people from all races that have done great things
to change the way we live today. As
Black History Month 2012 comes to an end, I wanted to dedicate this blog post
to a few of the African-Americans I admire and have paved the way for others. They all share one thing in common. Although they are all from poor to middle
class families, they dared to dream. As
a result of them having a dream and following it through, they are all successful. Today I salute the following;
Oprah
Winfrey was born in the poor rural town of Kosciusko, Mississippi on January
29, 1954. As an adolescent she was
sexually abused several times. As a teen
Oprah became very promiscuous as a result of her abuse. In 1971, she won the Miss Black Tennessee
Pageant. After this event her life took an upward turn.
Oprah Winfrey is a media giant. She was the first African-American to host a
talk show. She used her platform to
inspire millions to be their very best. She
has many accolades including actress. Her
most popular film was The Color Purple where she rose to popularity playing
Sophia. She also has her own magazine
titled, O. Additionally, she opened The
Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa in January 2007. After retiring from her self-titled talk
show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, she began her own television network, OWN. Oprah is a billionaire and has used her riches
to become one of the world’s greatest philanthropists. Oprah is no doubt, a
great American hero.
Next, Tyler Perry, was born Emmitt Perry,
Jr. on September 13, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He too had a tough childhood that was plagued
with sexual abuse. He also experienced
physical abuse at the hands of his father.
At age sixteen or seventeen he changed his name to Tyler in order to
distance himself from his father. Soon
after he left New Orleans and moved to Atlanta in search of his dream of seeing
his first play, I Know I’ve Been Changed,
acted out onstage. Success
didn’t come easy but he never gave up. Perry
leaned on his faith. Eventually he ventured
out and decided to take his stories to the big screen. His career took off after his first movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, topped the box
office chart at #1 its first weekend.
Perry
holds many titles including Film Actor, Director, Producer, Playwright, Screenwriter
and Philanthropists. Most recently he
was named the richest man in Hollywood.
That’s not so bad for a man from such humble beginnings. Hats off to Tyler Perry!
Other
heroes include, Tony Dungy, Maya Angelou, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama,
just to name a few. For the sake of not
having an extra long blog post, I won’t detail their life stories and accolades
at this time. However, since I believe
African-Americans should be celebrated more than the 28 days of February (29
this year, Leap Year!) during Black History Month, I may feature them along
with other heroes in a future post. Before I conclude, I’d be remised if I didn’t
add my #1 hero to this list. She is a
caregiver, a counselor, a prayer-warrior, an advocate for people in need and a philanthropist,
to name a few. You probably won’t know
her because she’s an unsung hero. She’s
my mother, Elizabeth Douglas-Small.
Heroes
are not just those that are rich and famous.
Many are hard working, ordinary people that are amongst us every
day. They make a difference in the lives
of others. Who are your heroes? Celebrate them today.
Until
next time, I hope you have been encouraged, empowered, enriched, and
enlightened.
Cherlisa
