Dear Sir:
I must disagree with the recent commentary, a Dec. 22, 2010 column from Claudette Sandecki, about Oprah Winfrey.
The Kennedy Center Honours were created to honor those who have spent a lifetime in the performing arts - drama (stage and film), music and dance. While Winfrey has shown acting skill and received an Oscar nomination, she is not primarily a performing artist; i.e., has not spent the majority of her time as an actress or even a producer of scripted films and programming.
There have been other issues with the Kennedy Center not honoring Hispanics or Native Americans, and as for African-Americans, deserving performers – George Benson, Charley Pride, Kathleen Battle, Simon Estes and Johnny Mathis, to name a few – continue to wait for their honours.
Sylvia Gurinsky, Pembroke Pines, Florida