by Oprah Winfrey
When I was just 22 years old, I moved to Maryland to start a new job as a co-anchor on WJZ-TV. And as I walked around the city of Baltimore that first week, I saw the strangest thing: my face on billboards advertising the 6 o’clock news with Jerry Turner, and a question, “What is an Oprah?” And honestly, I didn’t really know the answer myself. When I moved to Maryland, I had no idea who I was. But I will tell you something: Maryland is where I found myself.
Maryland is something special. A place where so many others have done, and will do, what I did: Plant the seeds of their wildest dreams, and watch them grow into reality. Maryland is full to the brim with opportunity. That was as true back then as it is now. And I know that, with Wes Moore as your governor, Maryland’s best days lie ahead. Wes has been a public servant his whole adult life—and he’s just getting started. Today, it was an honor to introduce Wes Moore, a man I believe in and a man I respect, at his inauguration for Maryland’s new governor. Thank you for having me with your wife, Dawn, and children, Mia and James.
