Reflecting on the recent Twitter debate about Winfrey's work on behalf of African Americans, Global Grind's Courtney Connley says that instead of focusing on the media mogul, we should ask ourselves what we can do to help the community that we see up close and personal every day.
While disagreements about who Oprah lends her help and fortune to is nothing new, it's clear that the talk show queen is fed up with continuous accusations and highlights of what she doesn't do for the black community and to be honest with you, I can't blame her.
Far too often, we as a black community look to our media leaders to single-handedly fix the problems we face. When we see someone who has successfully pushed through the glass ceiling and beat both the racist and sexist odds stacked against them in the business world, we feel as though we are the only people entitled to their attention. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for reaching back and helping others. I come from a home that taught me that even in your time of need you are in a position to give back because your worst day will always be someone else's best day, but I was also taught that philanthropy caters to no particular group of people.
While all statistics point to the black community and other communities of color needing more attention in education, job attainment, and violence control, it is not fair to look at someone like Oprah Winfrey as a solution to all of the issues existing in our community.
Read Courtney Connley's entire article at Global Grind.
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