Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Martin Luther King Jnr’s Influence on Oprah Winfrey

This post is one of a series this week in anticipation of the 4th April 2008, the 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King Jnr.

Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – where King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech – Oprah talked about the impact he had on her life:

"Nothing that has happened in my life since I was 16 years old would've been possible. I wouldn't have been in radio, I wouldn't have been on television, I would not have been have been who I am... I just wouldn't have had the life that I have without Martin Luther King Jr.," she says.

"To have been a living witness to the changes his vision and his dream have brought – not just for me personally but for all– it really is amazing grace."

Source: ‘Oprah Winfrey: How Martin Luther King Changed My Life’, People.Com., words and video clip, 20 January 2008.

Dr. Geoff Pound

Image: “I just wouldn't have had the life that I have without Martin Luther King Jr.”