Variety’s biannual event, held both in Los Angeles and New York each year, honors women in the entertainment industry who use their public platform to raise awareness and work toward charitable causes.
Recognized for her incredible work with the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation, Winfrey was the only one to receive a standing ovation at the event. However, in true Oprah fashion, the media mogul, who was introduced by director Ava DuVernay, put the attention on the other women in the room.
“I have always known this about celebrity,” Winfrey said, giving a nod to the public figures in the room. “The real power is understanding that what Salma has done, what Susan has done, what Gwyneth has done, what Rebecca has done, what Jim has done, is you, too, can do [it] because true philanthropy comes from living from the heart of yourself and giving what you have been given.”
Winfrey urged the room to make a difference themselves, continuing, “What we’ve done, you can do. The real empowerment comes when each person leaves this room and makes a decision.”
Becoming weepy while speaking of “her daughters” from her girls’ school in Africa (one of whom was in the audience), she recalled something significant that Maya Angelou once told her: Your legacy is seen in those whose lives you’ve touched. “It’s a beautiful thing to receive an award and to be on the cover of Variety,” Winfrey said. “But the true reward comes from the lives you have been able to touch and you know that you have impacted.”
Source: Variety.com
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