WHOOPI GOLDBERG:
HERE FOR A REASON
MICHELE J MARTIN
For the younger generation, Whoopi Goldberg might be ... the co-host of The View. For my generation, she has been the comedic genius to blame for a lifetime of stomach stitches from laughing too much and too hard. But Whoopi hasn't been just trying to make us laugh, she also has been trying to use humor as a way to change the world.
As an award-winning comic and actress, Whoopi Goldberg has made her mark on history, but being famous was never what it was about for Ms. Goldberg. It's always been about much more than just fame.
“I fear waking up one morning and finding out that my life was for nothing. We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.”
Since 1986, when she began by hosting the Comic Relief television specials she has sought out and supported charitable organizations whose ethos she believed deeply in. Along the way, she has received awards for her work as an advocate, philanthropist, and spokesperson.
Whoopi received the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Vanguard Award for her dedication and support of the gay and lesbian community in 1999. In 2003, she was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and in 2013 she joined the board of Garden of Dreams, an organization that helps bring life-changing opportunities to young people in need.
Below are just some of the charities that Whoopi Goldberg is involved with and offers her support to:
Garden of Dreams
Hope North
Human Rights Campaign
Legacy of Hope Foundation
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
New York Cares
Peace Over Violence
Red Cross
Save the Children
Society for Animal Protective Legislation
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
True Colors Fund
UNICEF
V-Day
Volunteers of America
Whatever It Takes
World Vision
Undoubtedly one of her most well known charitable affiliations has been Comic Relief. Based on the U.K. Comic Relief that was founded to help with the famine in Africa, Comic Relief USA was created in 1986 to focus on issues within the United States, particularly the homeless epidemic. Launched on March 29, 1986, the first special was a 4-hour long telethon premiering on HBO and co-hosted by comic geniuses, and best friends, Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, and Billy Crystal.
Whoopi Goldberg's vocal style is so distinctly hers. It has this soft rumble to it and when she tells a joke, it takes you on a journey. While it has a wide range, it always maintains that hearty breathy essence. It's the voice of the friend we always want programmed into our phones when we need someone who can make us feel comforted and supported or cheer us up. And if you've heard her get fierce on The View... it is the voice we want standing up for us. It is the voice we want with us in the best and worst of times. We just absolutely love Whoopi's voice.
In the voice and speech technology industry, her voice style is NOT represented in the digital voices currently dominating the markets. We would like that to change. Imagine the possibilities, if the world of digital voice matched the world of human voice. If it was as dynamic and expressive? Representative? Guess what, our advances in speech synthesis mean that now they can be — learn more about AI-Voice.
Cushy Sofa voices are defined as Soft, Deep, Breathy, and Nasal. Learn more about the unique characteristics that make up our voices and voice types here: VOCALiD Voice Types.
This is the seventh in our Iconic Black Voices series. Make sure to come back to our blog every day this month as we highlight more iconic Black voices in celebration of Black History Month.
Spread the word
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest