Oprah's New School Opens

Seriously, it seems that no matter what people do, there is always going to be harsh criticism. Oprah Winfrey recently opened her school for girls (Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls) in South Africa, giving room, board and education to 450 lucky girls that she handpicked, digging very deep into her pockets to get the whole thing funded, off the ground and built. Mariah Carey and Tina Turner were just a few of the celebrities on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Out of the 450 girls, only two are caucasian, which is why some people are up in arms. They also object to her going out of the country to help children, when she could help inner city kids right here in the US. You know what? It's her money and she can do with it as she pleases. She gives back hundredfold, and for her to come under criticism for what she's doing is ridiculous. Honestly. How many families in the US has she helped with her Angel Network? How many lives were changed with her Pay It Forward campaign in December? Enough already.

She told ET's Jann Carl that she was amused by the criticism. In an interview with Jann, she also said:

"Every girl has some form of 'it,' some form of light that shines," she says of the girls who were chosen to attend the school. "That says 'I want it, I can be successful. I'm not my circumstances.' That's what we were looking for and that's what we have."

"Education is the path to the future," Oprah said. "I believe that education is indeed freedom. With God's help, these girls will be the future leaders on the path to peace in South Africa and the world."

She left no stone unturned in creating the school. It broke ground four years ago, and includes a dining hall, theater, gymnasium, sports fields, a wellness center, dormitory, computer and science laboratories, and state-of-the-art classrooms. She had nearly 500 South African artists contribute to the look and design of the school, and the 28 buildings sit on a whopping 52 acres of land, built by local construction crews.

Photo from Page Six (Oprah) and ET (Mariah).