Renée Watson - She Persisted: Oprah Winfrey

PHILOMEL BOOKS

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, New York

First published in the United States of America by Philomel,
an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021

Text copyright 2021 by Chelsea Clinton

Illustrations copyright 2021 by Alexandra Boiger

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Watson, Rene, author. | Flint, Gillian, illustrator.

Title: Oprah Winfrey / written by Rene Watson ; interior illustrations by Gillian Flint. Description: New York : Philomel, 2021. | Series: She persisted | Includes bibliographical references. | Audience: Ages 69 | Audience: Grades 23 | Summary: A biography of Oprah Winfrey, part of the She Persisted chapter book seriesProvided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2021029313 (print) | LCCN 2021029314 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593115985 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593115992 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780593116005 (ebk) Subjects: LCSH: Winfrey, OprahJuvenile literature. | Women television personalitiesUnited StatesBiographyJuvenile literature. | African American television personalitiesBiographyJuvenile literature. | African American actressesBiographyJuvenile literature. | African American womenBiographyJuvenile literature. Classification: LCC PN1992.4.W56 W38 2021 (print) | LCC PN1992.4.W56 (ebook) | DDC 791.4502/8092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021029313

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021029314

HC ISBN 9780593115985

PB ISBN 9780593115992

Ebook ISBN 9780593116005

Cover art 2017 by Alexandra Boiger

Edited by Jill Santopolo.

Design by Ellice M. Lee, adapted for ebook by Andrew Wheatley.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

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For
Domonique Debnam

She Persisted: HARRIET TUBMAN

She Persisted: CLAUDETTE COLVIN

She Persisted: SALLY RIDE

She Persisted: VIRGINIA APGAR

She Persisted: NELLIE BLY

She Persisted: SONIA SOTOMAYOR

She Persisted: FLORENCE GRIFFITH JOYNER

She Persisted: RUBY BRIDGES

She Persisted: CLARA LEMLICH

She Persisted: MARGARET CHASE SMITH

She Persisted: MARIA TALLCHIEF

She Persisted: HELEN KELLER

She Persisted: OPRAH WINFREY

Dear Reader,

As Sally Ride and Marian Wright Edelman both powerfully said, You cant be what you cant see. When Sally Ride said that, she meant that it was hard to dream of being an astronaut, like she was, or a doctor or an athlete or anything at all if you didnt see someone like you who already had lived that dream. She especially was talking about seeing women in jobs that historically were held by men.

I wrote the first She Persisted and the books that came after it because I wanted young girlsand children of all gendersto see women who worked hard to live their dreams. And I wanted all of us to see examples of persistence in the face of different challenges to help inspire us in our own lives.

Im so thrilled now to partner with a sisterhood of writers to bring longer, more in-depth versions of these stories of womens persistence and achievement to readers. I hope you enjoy these chapter books as much as I do and find them inspiring and empowering.

And remember: If anyone ever tells you no, if anyone ever says your voice isnt important or your dreams are too big, remember these women. They persisted and so should you.

Warmly,

Chelsea Clinton

CHAPTER 1

Every Person Is Born with Talent

Oprah Winfrey always loved telling stories. When she was a young girl, she didnt have a lot of money or a lot of fancy clothes, but she had her voice and she used her voice in big and small ways.

Oprah used her voice to tell stories to anyoneand anythingthat would listen. Especially to the animals on the farm in her small Mississippi town. Oprah considered the chickens and piglets her friends. She named each one and told them stories as she fed them. Sometimes, she made up grand tales. Other times, she retold the sermons she heard at church. Oprah was good at remembering what the pastor said on Sunday mornings, and she was good at memorizing the scriptures her grandmother taught her.

By the age of three, Oprah was able to read. She loved reading and speaking words, and people all around town loved hearing her. No one knew that one day she would be called the Queen of Talk. No one knew that one day, her voice would be heard all over the world.

Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954. Her parents were not married. Her mother, Vernita Lee, was eighteen years old. Her father, Vernon Winfrey, was away serving in the United States Army. They named her Orpah, after a woman in the Bible. People often mispronounced her name, switching the r and the p, so instead of correcting them, she took on the name Oprah.

Vernita wanted to create a better life for her daughter. She did not want to raise Oprah in the segregated South, where Black people did not have equal rights. Black people could not drink out of the same water fountains as white people, and some restaurants only welcomed white customers. There were many businesses that wouldnt hire Black people. Vernita moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to find work, leaving Oprah with her grandparents, Hattie Mae and Earlist Lee. Vernita promised Oprah shed send for her once she was settled.

Oprahs grandparents lived on a farm, and they gave Oprah lots of chores. Besides feeding the animals, she was responsible for going to a nearby well to bring water back for the family. Most of the food Oprah ate was from the farm and garden. She didnt realize that fresh food was a healthy way to eat. Instead she felt ashamed that her family did not have enough money to buy groceries at the store.