Madam C.J. Walker

Madam CJ Walker

The first black woman millionare was Sarah Breedlove, also known as Madame CJ Walker. She was born in Delta, Louisiana, on December 23, 1867. According to A'Lelia Bundles, "Walker has transformed herself from an uneducated farm laborer and laundress, into one of the twentieth century's most successful, self made women entrepreneurs," and I totaly agree with her. Sarah was orphaned at age seven. What she often said was, "I got my start by giving myself a start." She and her sister, Louvenia, made their way by working in the cotton fields in Delta and Vicksburg, Mississippi. When she was just fourteen, she got married to Moses McWiliams to escape from her abusive brother-in-law, Jessie Powell.

She had her only daughter on June 6, 1885. She was born Lelia Walker, but was later known as A'Lelia Walker. Two years later, her husband died. She then moved to St.Louis with her four brothers, who made themselves as barbers. While she was only working for $1.50 a day, she managed to save enough money to educate A'Lelia. In the 1890's, Sarah began to suffer from hair loss. She began to make homemade concoctions to try to cure her problem. After changing her name to Madam CJ Walker, she made her own business, and began making money by selling Madam Walkers Hair Grower, which was a scalp conditioner and healing formula. According to A'Lelia Bundles, Walker did not invent the straightening comb, though many people believe so.

To promote this product, she traveled for a year and a half, selling door to door while demonstrating her scalp treatments. In 1908, she made her base in Pittsburgh, where she then opened up Lelia College to train Walker Hair culturists. Then, in 1910, she settled in Indianapolis, where she then built a factory, hair and manicure salon, and other training schools. She made news headlines when she gave $1000 to the black YMCA in Indianapolis. While she traveled to Central America, A'Lelia moved into a New Harlem townhouse, and Walker salon.

Walker moved to New York in 1916, leaving her operation to her factory forelady and school teacher. She continued to oversee her buisness and run her New York office. She contributed $5000 to the NAACP's Anti-Lynching Association. According to A'lelia Bundles, by the time she died at her estate Villa Lewaro, in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York, she had helped make the role of the 20th century, self-made business woman. "There is no royal flower-strewn path to success," she once commented. "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," according to Walker.

"I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations....I have built my own factory on my own ground," according to Madam CJ Walker.