- Oprah went to Tabitha Ramotwala’s Mount Holyoke ceremony in Massachusetts first and finished the day at Spelman College in Atlanta
- In between she saw Noluthando Dlomo and Nompumelelo Nobiva graduate from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Winfrey also gave the commencement speech at that ceremony, saying she attended all the graduations after making a promise to Nelson Mandela
- The girls were all part of the inaugural class at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa
- Seventy two girls in total were in that first class, and if they all graduate Winfrey will be at their college ceremonies
Oprah Winfrey’s commitment to the education of young girls in Africa paid off in a big way over the weekend with the first group of her ‘daughter-girls’ graduating from American colleges.
Tabitha Ramotwala got her degree from Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts on Sunday as did Noluthando Dlomo and Nompumelelo Nobiva, who both attended Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The three young women were all part of the inaugural class at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, and on Sunday the TV titan not only paid tribute to them but also gave the commencement address at Noluthando and Nompumelelo’s graduation.
This meant Winfrey had a very busy Sunday, starting off her morning at Mount Holyoke before flying to Johnson C. Smith and then later to Spelman College in Atlanta to watch as another one of her Academy for Girls alumnae got her diploma.
Winfrey said she made a promise to Nelson Mandela back when her school first opened that she would attend the graduations of the first group of girls.
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Big day: Four of Oprah Winfrey’s ‘daughter-girls’ graduated from college yesterday (Tabitha Ramotwala on left) and the TV titan attended all three ceremonies and on (on right l to r: Nompumelelo Nobiva, Winfrey and Noluthando Dlomoon)
Winfrey also gave the commencement speech at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina (above), where Noluthando and Nompumelelo attended college
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Promise: She attended all the graduations after making a promise to Nelson Mandela (above at the Spelman College ceremony in Atlanta)
‘Proud Happy Day! 2 graduations done. Tabitha at Mt.Hollyoke. Mpumi and Thando at JCSU. Congratulations to my beautiful and brilliant “daughter-girls,'” wrote Winfrey on instagram Sunday, posting a photo of herself with the girls.
‘Now onto Spelman!’
Winfrey, 62, not only spoke at the Johnson C. Smith graduation but also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters.
There had been some calls for the former talk show host to skip the ceremony in response to the North Carolina’s controversial transgender bathroom law, but Winfrey said she never for a second thought about missing the big day.
‘I got calls from members of the press asking me was I going to boycott being here today because of North Carolina and y’all’s issues,’ she told the graduating class and their families and friends in her speech.
‘And I said, “Listen, anybody that knows me knows: I don’t believe in or support any law discriminating against anybody, ever. But I will be at J-C…”‘
At that point the graduating class jumped in and yelled back ‘S-U’ according to The Charlotte Observer.
She then told the crowd; ‘Nothing would keep me from being here to celebrate the promise that I made to Nelson Mandela over 10 years ago.’
Winfrey, who was joined by longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham at all two of the day’s ceremonies, spoke for 37 minutes, and according to reports never once looked at her notes.
She also quoted Martin Luther King Jr. (‘Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service’), James Baldwin (‘Your crown has been bought and paid for. All you must do is put it on’) and Reverend Jesse Jackson (‘Excellence is the best deterrent to racism and sexism’) during her remarks.
Winfrey said she first heard Jackson’s quote when she was a teenager, telling the audience; ‘From that day forward, that became my mantra, and I’ve tried in everything I do to be excellent.
‘Cause even if you flippin’ fries at McDonald’s, if you are excellent, everybody wants to be in your line. Whatever you do that is excellent, people notice you, and they talk about you, and they say, “Did you see that girl over there?”‘
She closed by saying to the graduating class; ‘You make me proud, and your future’s so bright, JCSU, it burns my eyes. Go with God.’
Travelling companion: Winfrey was joined by longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham (above in North Carolina) for two of the ceremonies
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Travelling companion: Winfrey was joined by longtime boyfriend Stedman Graham (above in North Carolina) for two of the ceremonies
Big day: Winfrey, 62, not only spoke at the Johnson C. Smith graduation but also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters (ABOVE)
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Big day: Winfrey, 62, not only spoke at the Johnson C. Smith graduation but also received an honorary doctorate of humane letters (ABOVE)
Noluthando and Nompumelelo spoke about their big day and having Winfrey be there in an interview with WSOC.
‘Just being here was enough me, and now the fact she’s here with me is awesome,’ said Noluthando.
Nompumelelo, who was seen crying during the ceremony, said; ‘I’m excited to graduate today. It’s a fabulous experience. To have Mom Oprah here to be here with us and support us is beyond us, really.’
She later spoke about what she went through to get to where she is today, and the obstacles she had to overcome, saying; ‘This is a huge success for young Zulu girls who grew up in townships raised by grandmothers, single mothers. I’m an AIDS orphan, and it’s just a tremendous achievement to stand before you all today.
‘Mom Oprah was very specific in the sort of women she wanted to raise. She called it the “it girl,” but now we understand that it really stands for grit and tenacity, a girl of strength who can stand in her truth and be validated in the world.’
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa is a girls-only boarding school that opened in 2007 near Johannesburg.
Winfrey said she wanted to open the school given her own struggles in her youth.
There were 72 girls in the first graduating class, who began at the school when they were in the eighth grade.
Every single one of those girls received a full college scholarship, and as part of her promise Winfrey will be there whenever one of them accepts her degree.
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