[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO OPRAH WINFREY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 8, 2007

  Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I heartily join in congratulating Oprah 
Winfrey, who has been named the recipient of the Humanitarian Award 
from the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, a venerable institution 
that combats indifference, intolerance and injustice through 
international dialogue and youth-focused programs.
  Oprah Winfrey is such a visible figure in popular culture that her 
first name alone is iconic. The recognition she has earned through her 
talk show, acting, writing and various media enterprises has made her 
one of America's most recognizable people. And to her everlasting 
credit, she has put this visibility to good use in support of worthy 
causes.
  A high-profile public figure who dedicates herself to helping the 
less-fortunate, Oprah sets an example for those of us in the public 
eye. She provides an inspiring model of the pursuit of meaning, hope, 
and fulfillment to millions. And as someone who has chosen children as 
the main focus of her philanthropy and her public service, she sets an 
example for all adults: Children are the bedrock foundation of our 
society, our chance for a more peaceful and healthy society, but 
because they are the least able to help themselves, they need and 
deserve our greatest efforts. As a grandfather of 17 wonderful 
grandchildren, I believe the message Oprah sends about kids is the most 
profound of all.
  Motivated by this desire to help children in need, she founded The 
Oprah Winfrey Foundation in 1987. Since then, the foundation has made 
grants to organizations that support women and children around the 
world, providing education, training, and access to crucial resources. 
I laud Oprah's decision to focus the foundation internationally, not 
just in the United States. With our resources and our technology, we 
have a solemn responsibility to lift up the destitute in the rest of 
the world.
  And The Oprah Winfrey Foundation demonstrates that private U.S. 
interests can combine with both governments and non-governmental 
organizations to foster that goal. I am particularly impressed that 
Oprah has also used an inspirational partnership model in raising 
money. Oprah's Angel Network leverages her audiences as potential 
donors, with all the money they give going to NGOs that build schools, 
youth centers, and homes around the world. Her devotion to schoolgirls 
in South Africa is simply amazing. She has given so much money and time 
to the construction of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls 
to ensure that it will succeed, that those girls will succeed, and that 
South African society will improve from their education.
  On a personal level, I am touched and grateful that Oprah has 
partnered with Elie Wiesel never to let us forget the Holocaust, the 
most horrible and harrowing moment in history and one to which Elie and 
I were witnesses. It speaks to Oprah's singular empathy that someone 
whose focus is often on modern-day trauma and travesty can so adeptly 
shine a light on the past. Simply the act of choosing Wiesel's classic 
``Night'' for her book club spoke volumes. But her televised visit to 
Auschwitz with Wiesel last year made it real for everyone.
  Indeed, Oprah has that uncanny and unparalleled ability to not just 
bring human experience in front of our eyes, but to make us feel it. 
And her desire and commitment to translating into public service the 
human capacity to feel for others is deserving of the deepest honor.

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