Oprah Winfrey spent part of the weekend spreading her seeds of wisdom to young adults in our nation’s capital. The celebrated talk show host spoke at commencement ceremonies at Howard University Saturday.
“My integrity is not for sale, and neither is yours,” Winfrey told more than 30,000 people who attended the graduation ceremonies. She was referring to the times when network executives tried to pressure her to avoid topics to boost ratings or appease advertisers.
“Do not be a slave to any form of selling out,” Winfrey advised the new graduates. The former TV news anchor went on to tell the students that her success in the media comes from maintaining her principles and serving others.
Before stepping down from the podium Winfrey shared a personal anecdote about how early in her career TV executives told her she was “too black” and “too emotional.” And regular viewers of Winfrey’s show may remember the other story she shared—the one about how her bosses wanted her TV name changed to something more recognizable, but she refused.
“And that was the beginning,” she told the Howard crowd.
Not surprisingly, Winfrey’s speech drew repeated applause. According to those in attendance, Winfrey ended by calling on the graduates to maintain their integrity and to “go forth and serve.”
By the way, the media mogul was also awarded with an honorary Doctor of Humanities (which caused her to shed a few tears) during the ceremony.
While Winfrey was rallying graduates, one of her favorite TV guests was rallying the spirits of some distraught residents in Kansas.
Kirstie Alley not only traveled to the tornado ravaged state, but she also paid for truckloads of supplies to help residents and their animals recover from the massive funnel cloud that nearly destroyed one south-central Kansas town.
The actress told news reporters that she plans to remain in Greensburg for several days to meet with the people whose lives are in disarray. Alley who happens to be a native of Wichita, brought along a group of Church of Scientology volunteers to help hand out bottled water, candy, T-shirts, hats, socks and other supplies to displaced residents. The group also reportedly brought food, bowls, cardboard carriers and other items for animals.
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