Madame C.J. Walker
“There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.”
Madam C.J. Walker was born into poverty. She founded a hair care business in the early 1900s which provided black women the opportunity to become financially independent by working from home. Walker eventually became the first black self-made female millionaire.
Personal History
Born on a Louisiana plantation December 23, 1867 to former slave parents, Sarah Breedlove was orphaned at age seven. After her parents’ deaths, Sarah’s sister Louvenia and her husband of Vicksburg, Mississippi took her in. Sarah had very little opportunity for formal education; she worked as a washerwoman and at age 14 she married Moses McWilliams. She and McWilliams had a daughter named Lelia in 1885. Two years later, McWilliams was lynched. Sarah then moved to St Louis, Missouri where her brothers lived and became a hairdresser.
In 1905 Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker and changed her name to Madam C.J. Walker. Although the marriage did not last, her name did.
Walker Hair Care System
Many black women of the time divided their hair into sections then twisted each section so that when combed the hair would straighten. This process, combined with poor hygiene of the day and nutrient deficient diets weakened the hair and often caused it to fall out. When Sarah’s hair began falling out she searched desperately for a treatment to restore her hair. She experimented with homemade mixtures and over the counter products as well. The ingredients of her final formula were revealed to her in a dream. “Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, mixed it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends; it helped them. I made up my mind to begin to sell it.”
Career
Seeing an unmet demand for hair care products designed specifically for blacks, Walker set about marketing her “Wonderful Hair Grower.” In 1905 Walker’s empire started with a mail-order business in Denver. Walker traveled the south and other areas with large black populations demonstrating her product and recruiting a female sales force to sell the products door-to-door. By 1908 she opened a branch office with a beauty college in Pittsburgh. She relocated the headquarters and beauty college to Indianapolis in 1910. By this time she employed nearly 3000 people.
The Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company continued to grow and in 1917, they showed $500,000 annual revenue making it the largest black owned business in the United States. Walker developed and manufactured her products in-house. She had beauty schools to train women how to use the “Walker System,” as well as a chain of beauty shops which used and marketed the products. Walker also employed an army of Walker agents wearing white tops and black skirts selling the products door-to-door in black neighborhoods across the country. Her product line eventually grew to include a variety of cosmetics including “Glossine,” “Temple Grower,” and “Tetter Salve” used to treat psoriasis.
Philanthropy
Walker used her wealth to support a large number of philanthropic causes. Her favorite cause was black education, particularly women’s schools, the Tuskegee Institute, and a school for girls she built and funded in West Africa. Walker also contributed the NAACP, the Black YMCA of Indianapolis and a number of retirement homes. Once her Walker Agents were making money she urged them to follow her example and donate money to their local charities.
Because of her first husband’s death, the elimination of lynching was close to Walker’s heart. As a member of the National Conference on Lynching, she visited President Woodrow Wilson in 1917 to push for legislation making lynching a federal crime.
Sarah Breedlove (Madam C.J.) Walker died at home on May 25, 1919. She left a legacy of service, especially to the black community. Because of her company, thousands of black women were able to gain financial stability by simply being able to work at home.
Links
General Sites
The College of New Jersey Harlem Renaissance
Timeline (official site)
Photos
Villa Lewaro, Walker's home in New York
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Madam C.J. Walker was born into poverty. She founded a hair care business in the early 1900s which provided black women the opportunity to become financially independent by working from home. Walker eventually became the first black self-made female millionaire. Personal History Born on a Louisiana plantation December 23, 1867 to former slave parents, Sarah Breedlove was orphaned at age seven. After her parents’ deaths, Sarah’s sister Louvenia and her husband of Vicksburg, Mississippi took her in. Sarah had very little opportunity for formal education; she worked as a washerwoman and at age 14 she married Moses McWilliams. She and McWilliams had a daughter named Lelia in 1885. Two years later, McWilliams was lynched. Sarah then moved to St Louis, Missouri where her brothers lived and became a hairdresser. In 1905 Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker and changed her name to Madam C.J. Walker. Although the marriage did not last, her name did. Walker Hair Care System Many black women of the time divided their hair into sections then twisted each section so that when combed the hair would straighten. This process, combined with poor hygiene of the day and nutrient deficient diets weakened the hair and often caused it to fall out. When Sarah’s hair began falling out she searched desperately for a treatment to restore her hair. She experimented with homemade mixtures and over the counter products as well. The ingredients of her final formula were revealed to her in a dream. “Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, mixed it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends; it helped them. I made up my mind to begin to sell it.” Career Seeing an unmet demand for hair care products designed specifically for blacks, Walker set about marketing her “Wonderful Hair Grower.” In 1905 Walker’s empire started with a mail-order business in Denver. Walker traveled the south and other areas with large black populations demonstrating her product and recruiting a female sales force to sell the products door-to-door. By 1908 she opened a branch office with a beauty college in Pittsburgh. She relocated the headquarters and beauty college to Indianapolis in 1910. By this time she employed nearly 3000 people. The Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company continued to grow and in 1917, they showed $500,000 annual revenue making it the largest black owned business in the United States. Walker developed and manufactured her products in-house. She had beauty schools to train women how to use the “Walker System,” as well as a chain of beauty shops which used and marketed the products. Walker also employed an army of Walker agents wearing white tops and black skirts selling the products door-to-door in black neighborhoods across the country. Her product line eventually grew to include a variety of cosmetics including “Glossine,” “Temple Grower,” and “Tetter Salve” used to treat psoriasis. Philanthropy Walker used her wealth to support a large number of philanthropic causes. Her favorite cause was black education, particularly women’s schools, the Tuskegee Institute, and a school for girls she built and funded in West Africa. Walker also contributed the NAACP, the Black YMCA of Indianapolis and a number of retirement homes. Once her Walker Agents were making money she urged them to follow her example and donate money to their local charities. Because of her first husband’s death, the elimination of lynching was close to Walker’s heart. As a member of the National Conference on Lynching, she visited President Woodrow Wilson in 1917 to push for legislation making lynching a federal crime. Sarah Breedlove (Madam C.J.) Walker died at home on May 25, 1919. She left a legacy of service, especially to the black community. Because of her company, thousands of black women were able to gain financial stability by simply being able to work at home. Links General Sites The College of New Jersey Harlem Renaissance Timeline (official site) Photos Villa Lewaro, Walker's home in New York |