Oprah Winfrey always said she had wanted to be a teacher. She wanted to be the Teacher of the Year, in fact. She pursued a career in journalism instead and went on to become a multi-millionaire media mogul.
As a black girl growing up in Chicago, I wanted to be just like Oprah. I had moments in elementary school when I wanted to be a teacher, but I mostly wanted to be a famous writer. Like Oprah I pursued a career in journalism, but choose to concentrate on print media instead of television broadcast. Too many black journalists told me that if I wanted to do TV I'd have to perm my kinky hair (or get a weave) and put aside my Afrocentric flare until the cameras were off. It was a sacrifice I wasn't willing to make.
Sadly, I still haven't met Oprah. I tried to get hired on her set, but nothing ever panned out. Obviously, I never made it to her level of worldly success, either. Even as a dedicated teacher, I doubt I'll ever reach Oprah's unmet goal of being named Teacher of the Year.
I'm wondering, who do young black girls look up to now? Most would say their mothers, but who else? If I took a poll, I imagine R&B singer Rihanna would rank high ...
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