O! Oprah

Talk show megastar Oprah Winfrey hosted a gospel concert in Winston-Salem last month to raise money for a minority health center named after her longtime friend, poet Maya Angelou.The Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health aims to close the gap in health, quality of life and lifespan differences between minorities and the general population.”I think there’s nothing more important than people taking care of their health…,” Winfrey said, “and I think that as minorities, we’ve got to learn to take it seriously.” “Diabetes kills, high blood pressure kills,” she added. “The Maya Angelou Center is the beginning of turning that around.”Grammy-award winner and Stellar award-nominated gospel singer Joshua Nelson was the headliner for the evening. The fund-raiser took place the night after Thanksgiving at St. Peter’s World Outreach Center on Old Lexington Road.Winfrey said she hoped people would leave the concert uplifted. “Gospel music is a healing force,” she said. The Maya Angelou Research Center on Minority Health was founded at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and is a collaborative effort of Wake Forest, the university’s medical center, WSSU and Forsyth County. The center is trying to raise a $20-million endowment.Winfrey said there were many reasons why she agreed to appear and support Angelou, but her chief motive was to support a worthy cause. For her part, Angelou described Winfrey as one of the sweetest and bravest women in the world after thanking the audience for caring for somebody who did not necessarily look like them. It was noted during the benefit that the infant mortality rate among blacks is more than twice as high as that for whites. Winfrey also addressed the effects of AIDS and HIV on the young black population and how to strongly convey the message that the disease can affect anybody.”I spent a lot of time not only in this country…but in Africa where there is no voice about it. So I say to people, you need to maintain your voice.””The state of blacks and healthcare is upsetting,” Winfrey said.”We [blacks] reign in heart attacks and strokes and diabetes because we have not taken it seriously.”Over the years, Winfrey has battled with her own health issues, particularly her much-publicized battle to control her weight. However, she said she is determined to maintain a healthy lifestyle, which includes keeping her weight down. Winfrey’s long-running talk show is broadcast in 113 countries around the world.”The human spirit can triumph; and, no matter where you are in your life, you’re always in a position to do better and to be better,” Winfrey said. “You always grow until your last breath.”