It's been months since the controversy over Oprah's funding of an all-girl's school in Africa reached its peak, but it's almost certain to kick back up again after this Sunday's episode of BET's Meet the Faith.
The show is taking up my favorite issue -- money in the black community -- this week and is featuring an interview in which Oprah answers critics of her decision to fund a school overseas instead of one here in the U.S. I've seen a small clip of the interview because (shameless plug here) I'll be BET.com's guest blogger for Meet the Faith for the next two weeks (you can and should check out the blog, which starts Monday, July 9, at http://betintroduces.com/shows
"To hell with your criticism," she says. "I don't care. I don't care what you have to say about what I did, because it's what I did."
Ouch. Tell 'em how you really feel, Harpo.
Comments: (125)
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By: Cerra on 7/06/2007 5:57PM
Ditto. I'ts what she did. What have the critics personally done but run off at the mouth? The spiritual law says to give, it does not say ask anyone to dictate what God puts on your heart to do.
That is the problem I have with people that are running off at the mouth. Whether you have trillions, billions, millions or just 100 dollars you are required to do what you can at your level. Are you giving anything to anybody? Should people outside of you and your God tell you what to do with your giving? I say shut up and put up your own money.
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By: pam on 7/07/2007 11:47AM
to hell with them oprah
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By: Gwen on 7/09/2007 8:48AM
It's her money and Oprah can spend it any darn way she pleases. As she's already explained, too many young people in America don't give a damn about education, so she decided to help young people who were starving to be educated. Do your thing, Oprah. Do your thing!
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By: Abigail on 7/08/2007 6:50PM
Oprah is showing the way. America has more than enough to give. I see the government of American giving to other countries and I wonder where are the critics. It is Oprahs right to do whatever she wants to do with her money. If she had built a school for white children would we hear the same criticism.
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By: doug mccants on 7/08/2007 12:24AM
oprah it is your perogative to help anyone, whomever you chose. hooray!!!!
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By: Ms Jay on 7/06/2007 6:54PM
I agree with Oprah. Sometimes you do have to say to hell with what people say. People will criticize no matter what you do in life. She is doing positive things. Black folks should not complain. If she built a school over here, there would be too much attention to the kids and their families and the education would not be what they deserve. You see how our school system is today. Half of the ones who graduate can't even read or write on their age/grade level. Those girls will graduate from her school and be the future of Africa and the world. She don't have to answer to anyone, its her damn MONEY!!!
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By: Beverley on 7/06/2007 6:38PM
My only problem with Oprah's School for Girls: What's going to happen with the boys?
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By: CHEYON on 7/06/2007 6:36PM
TRUTHFULLY OPRAH IS A ROLE MODEL FOR ME AND I HONESTLY SUPPORT HER DECISION TO FUND THE SCHOOL IN AFRICA. I BELIEVE SHE SEES A LACK OF OUR PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I GUESS SHE FEELS LIKE WHY TRY HERE WHEN THERE ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US THAN OUR POEPLE OVER THERE. SO YES SHE IS TRYING TO HELP OUT WHERE IT IS NEEDED. I APPLAUD HER 100%.
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By: Kenny on 7/08/2007 8:00PM
I was doing my laundry, when a young lady in the laundry was ripping into Oprah for having opened the school in South Africa. She claimed she could not understand why Oprah would rather help Africans than her own people. During the course of her conversation with her friend, she revealed that she had to "see" about getting her GED. Here was a young lady in her early 20's with a child, who had not even bothered to finish high school in a country where education is free from Kindergarten to through high school. The sad fact is that she is not alone, so many of our young people have other "more important" things to do than to get an education. I hope Oprah opens up a dozen more schools in Africa.
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By: Ellie on 7/06/2007 7:23PM
Whether you agree with Oprah and the ways in which she uses her money, you have to agree:IT IS HER MONEY!
She worked hard to earn it and owes no one any expalanation of how she uses it. Her Angel Network and its charitable programs are active in the USA; she created the school in Africa for young girls and these are all things that she did not have to do but she did.
I think that she should be repected for her aachievements and her willingness to share the wealth.
As I said, you don't have to agree. I feel that she romanticizes Africans and their relationship to Black Americans. I also feel that her view of Black American kids is skewed. The kids that would respond to her questions regarding education in the fashion that she would like exist. She is the fat little girl in the corner wearing glasses that the kids already pick on, so she won't say much. He is the young man who doesn't want his friends to pick on him because he wants something different. They don't want to be accused of trying to"be White" and they do have to live in their neighborhoods, so they try to be inconspicuous. There are lots of Black American kids and their parents who want a better education. The people who don't want anything more make more noise and better press. Black American kids want more and most are willing to work if given the chance. Personally, I would like to see Oprah spend more of her capital on Black American kids, but IT IS HER MONEY!.
I am sorry that this turned into a rant, but I've been thinking about this for a while. I respect Oprah for her hard work,her achievements and her generosity but do think that she needs to rethink her view of Black Americans.
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