Oprah Winfrey Exhibit Set To Open At National African American Museum

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Oprah To Get Her Own Exhibit At National African American Museum

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is set to open an exhibit on Oprah Winfrey this weekend on Friday, June 8.

“Watching Oprah: The Oprah Winfrey Show and American Culture” will showcase numerous videos, interviews, clothing, personal photos and journal entries from the 64-year-old talk show host and philanthropist, according to the Washington Post.

The museum’s director, Lonnie G. Bunch III, said about the exhibit: “What’s interesting is the same way America thought about Walter Cronkite — you could trust Walter Cronkite and his opinion — they trust Oprah. An African-American woman becomes the person American turns to. We made sure there was a bright line, that this was done by the museum and museum scholars…The fundraising was not through Oprah’s people.”

The exhibit is going to explore her childhood in the ‘50s and ‘60s, her work on The Oprah Winfrey Show for 25 years, her philanthropic contributions, and her wildly influential book club.

Kathleen Kendrick, who worked with Winfrey’s team to get the items for the exhibition explained, “We’re providing a context for understanding not only who she is, but how she became a global figure, and how she is connected to broader stories and themes.”

Winfrey is the museum’s largest benefactor, having donated a whopping $21 million–Their theater is also named after her, for obvious reasons.