Oprah Winfrey's mother lost one child and placed another for adoption during her life

By Rodolfo Vieira

Nov 27, 2018

01:24 P.M.

Vernita Lee, the mother of television powerhouse Oprah Winfrey, secretly gave a daughter up for adoption in 1963.

At the time, Oprah was only nine years old but she never knew that she had a sister until 2011 when she confronted her mother.

As reported by Heavy, Oprah's sister's name is Patricia Amanda Faye Lee and she was a secret that Vernita carried in her heart for many decades.

In an interview recorded for "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Vernita, who recently passed away, admitted that it was a terrible decision to give Patricia up for adoption and that she later regretted it.

According to her, she went back for the baby but she was no longer at the adoption center, which only made her feel worse about her decision.

OPRAH'S FORGIVENESS

Oprah, who was born from the relationship between Vernita and Vernon Winfrey, later reconnected with her long-lost sister and described the reunion as a 'beloved moment.'

When it came to her mother, Oprah said that she could let the shame go, considering that she only did what she did because she believed it was the right thing to do.

A HARD LIFE

Vernita's life came to an end on Thursday, November 22, 2018, on Thanksgiving. She was born in 1935, on a farm in segregated Mississipi and had to work hard to feed her children.

She had to overcome a lot of obstacles throughout her life and Oprah witnessed most of them, which was why she grew up to be someone so interested in social affairs.

RACISM DURING THE ELECTIONS

While segregation is no longer in practice, racism is very much alive. Recently, someone left a series of nooses and signs outside the Mississipi State Capitol as a reminder that racism is still an issue.

It has been reported that the signs were anonymously placed there after Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith made a racist comment toward her opponent Mike Espy, who happens to be black.

Hyde-Smith commented about 'attending a public' hanging when it came to the Mississipi elections, and although her campaign justified her words as a mere 'joke,' people weren't amused by it.