Last night as I was winding down from my day, I started scrolling on social media. I came upon a one minute and twenty-six second clip of Sherri Shepherd interviewing Oprah on her own talk show, Sherri. Sherri asked Oprah what having such a legacy with all that she’s accomplished meant to her. Oprah’s response floored me. Why? Because I’d never really thought about a question like this and what my answer would be.  

Oprah began to share what she thought her legacy was: the school for young ladies she built in in Africa. But then, she shared that prolific poet Maya Angelou informed her that her legacy was not just one thing. It was every life she’d ever touched. 

Whoa… 

I must admit, this struck something in me. I’ve always, in my own mind, defined legacy as something tangible or intangible that people passed down to their children, grandchildren, etc.  However, I never thought about my demographic: single women who aren’t biological mothers. We possess a legacy in the form of touching those around us because of who we’ve decided to become. So, here’s my bottom line… 

My legacy depends on my CHANGE. Who I become is what I pass on. 

So now, the wheels of my mind are turning pretty fast. Am I the legacy I want to share yet? Have I become the change I want to see and others need to see? The wonderful thing about the conversation I began to have with myself is that it sobered me up. It made me realize that my legacy has no specific age range, relationship, or prejudice. Rather, who I become and ultimately share with others is solely dependent on…me. 

This is not to say that I must be this perfect person to affect others, but it is important that I become the created me. Or in other words, who God intended me to be! Not only did Oprah’s answer “turn the light on,” but it showed me something else.  

When you become the change, you look for others with the same appetite to become. 

I was not only inspired to evolve, I was also excited about who would come after me and do the same. Succession is inevitable and pivotal. Therefore, all those who have been given the responsibility to affect others in any way are also responsible for being intentional.  

The overall beauty of watching this snippet of her interview, was that I saw two women who looked like me edifying each other. Nothing about Sherri said that she wanted to prove she could be better than Oprah and nothing about Oprah said that she thought Sherri wouldn’t or couldn’t be “better.”  It was simply one woman who’d walked the same road (and then some) pouring into another woman who was on that same path. 

As an African American woman part of Generation X, I know all too well what it was like to grow up and not see many representations of myself depicted as successful (or even worthy of success) on a national platform. Thus, when I first saw Oprah Winfrey on television in the ‘80s, I was immediately introduced to the possibility of success being connected to my ethnicity. And from that moment, I never got rid of the idea. 

I’ve shared the above to say this: my navigation moving forward is fueled by becoming.  

As long as I intentionally (this word is so pertinent to manifestation) do what is necessary to have a positive and lasting effect on all those I encounter, my legacy will be bigger than I could ever imagine. Interestingly, there are so many ways that my change can be passed on, even after I’m gone! Kudos to another forerunner, our former FLOTUS, Michelle Obama. She created a tangible legacy in the form of her book, Becoming. What can you say about perpetual impact? Brilliant! 

African American women have the power to create an eternal legacy that can change the world. And you know what else? It doesn’t necessarily take a lifetime for legacy to be passed on. I was taught a legacy lesson in just one minute and twenty-six seconds.