The Power of O

O is a powerful letter. The shape is complete and simple, evoking a sense of strength and boldness in its viewer. Words starting with the letter O can seem to take on a life and personality all their own. Original. Outstanding. Oprah.

Yes, Oprah Winfrey is our Black History Month lady of the week today because she embodies outstanding originality, a trait we at DRC ApeParel strive for in our clothing and hope to encourage in you!

Oprah says about her life...

I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good.

This attitude about life resembles that of Martin Luther King Jr.'s and is the mantra behind not only her success, but her ability to change her life and the lives of millions. Born on a farm in Mississippi in 1954, the year racial segregation was ended in public schools, Oprah explains that from an early age she knew she was bound for greatness. Since its beginning in 1986, her talk show has been rated #1 for 24 consecutive seasons and reaches more than 40 million viewers every week in the US alone.

She worked her way up the latter, from first African American news anchor in Nashville at age 19 to local talk show host in Baltimore, and then to Chicago to host a morning talk show that quickly became The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her style, power and choice of topics grabbed viewers' attention, pulled people out of their comfort zones, and allowed them to analyze their concerns, problems, and lives. By utilizing data and information from experts in combination with an optimistic perspective, Oprah changed they way millions approached life and the positive energy fueled a lasting success.

Then in 2000, the power of O struck again with O, the Oprah Magazine. A women's lifestyle magazine, it currently has 2.35 million readers each month and extends her message to LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE. In 2002, Oprah took this message a step further, off her American front porch and into the heart of South Africa where she launched her first international edition of the magazine. And in true Oprah fashion she didn't stop there. In 2007, she founded the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, a first-class school designed to nurture, educate, and turn gifted South African girls from impoverished backgrounds into the country's future leaders.

The Oprah Winfrey Show is in its last season this year, the final episode being sure to release a flood of tears from people around the world, but tears of relief and joy have already sprung following the debut of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, this past January 1st, 2011. The power of O continues and there's no doubt the ripples of its wake will be felt for generations to come.