Oprah's Leadership Academy

Anyone watch the Oprah special last night? I used to LOVE Oprah. I would watch her show whenever I could and thought the world of her. Then she made Their Eyes Were Watching God with Halle Berry and I came to the conclusion that she was full of shix. After that, I lost a lot of respect for her because I saw that she obviously did't understand how important it is to stay true to the character in the book. Sure, change the setting or alter the plot a little, but to completely change the character at his/her core is an insult to the author.

Anyway, I still get suckered into watching her show or specials and last night was no exception. I'm going to admit that a lot of my admiration for Oprah returned after seeing how much effort she put into building that leadership academy for girls in South Africa. I know a lot of people griped about her not building a school in America, but I can see why she was drawn to build it in another country. Those girls fight for their education and they truly value it. They have big dreams and I'm sure many of them have bright futures because they will cherish the opportunity Oprah has given them. American's just don't value education the way they should.

One of the most touching moments was when a girl asked Oprah a practical question: If she was accepted into the school and did well, would she be able to go on to college and who would pay for it? Oprah said, "I will" and the girl started crying.

The whole show was pretty much one big sob fest. I cry very easily and those girls really tugged at my heart-strings. Oprah hopes to change the world by educating girls. There were definitely times when you say, "Oh please...could you be more full of yourself right now, O?" but the bottom line is that she is doing something good for those girls.