Sister Jenna's Thoughts on the "Watching Oprah" Exhibition Opening at NMAAHC

Read Full Story HERE  "Watching Oprah," will open to the public on June 8, 2018, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The exhibition looks at how America shaped Oprah, but even more importantly, how Oprah shaped America and the world. "This exhibition examines the power of television," said Lonnie G. Bunch III, the museum’s founding director. Just as Oprah Winfrey watched TV coverage of the civil rights movement and was shaped by the era in which she was born and raised, Ms. Winfrey has gone on to have a profound effect on how Americans view themselves and each other in the tumultuous decades that followed. Her exhibits stand amidst other women giants in America such as Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B Wells and Maya Angelou - women who have not only been shaped by America, but who have transformed America to rise to higher levels of consciousness.

The exhibition is in three parts: America Shapes Oprah 1950s -1980s, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Oprah Shapes America. It takes you on her journey over the past 25 years and leaves you at the "Oprah Effect" - her ability to shape public opinion and change people’s lives for the better.
"Watching Oprah" is located in the museum’s Special Exhibitions gallery, a 4,300 square-foot exhibition space located on the concourse level near the elevator that takes visitors to the first level of the History Galleries.
When asked by Sister Jenna how the exhibition impacted them personally, Curator Rhea L. Combs shared that it reminded her of our humanity and how much we share in common and Curator Kathleen M. Kendrick gave a touching response that life carries a higher purpose, if we so choose.