o d agnoliaWhen Oprah connects with some-
thing—a person, a book, a song, an
idea—she makes sure to shine her light
on it. She validates it. She anoints it.
People know that when Oprah is in-
volved, there is no pretense, no fl uff —
whether it’s her work in arts and
media or her philanthropic work on
health care, food equity, and more.
Every project she touches follows
the same pattern, asking us to think
critically about our society and how
it works, reminding us of our common
humanity, and challenging us to take
our victories and failures, our pride
and vulnerability—and make it all seen.
That’s why no matter where you
go, everyone knows her name.
And all of it makes me wonder:
maybe her success isn’t rooted in the
fact that she found a common denomi-
nator that unites us all. Maybe Oprah
is our common denominator.Obama is a lawyer, author, and former
First Lady of the United StatesOprah Winfrey
Cultural touchstone
BY MICHELLE OBAMA
Once, while speaking to a group of
college graduates, Oprah said some-
thing about her years as an interviewer
that struck me. She said, “The com-
mon denominator that I found ... is
we want to be validated. We want to be
understood.”
Whether she’s talking to pop stars,
Presidents, schoolgirls, scholars—or
she’s asking you about your life over a
glass of wine in the living room—Oprah
has always had that uncanny ability to
open us up, to hear beyond our words,
and to uncover a higher truth, to be vul-
nerable with us in a way that allows us
to be vulnerable back.
That’s her secret. But what I love
most about Oprah is that she has never
been content to keep it for herself.
92 TIME June 6/June 13, 2022