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Madame C.J. Walker |
My hero is Madam C. J. Walker. She is my hero because she was the first known African-American millionaire and to become a millionaire, it takes a lot of work to succeed. Madam Walker has become an inspiration for many female African-Americans. Walker contributed a large amount of her money to many African-American schools and organizations like YWCAs and YMCAs.
Madam C. J. Walker was born as Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, in Delta, Louisiana. She was the daughter of Owen Breedlove and Minerva Breedlove, who were previous slaves. When she was seven years-old, her parents had died from yellow fever and together with her older sister, they managed by working in cotton fields. At fourteen, she married Moses McWilliams to avoid contact with her sister’s rude husband. Together, they had Walker’s only child, Lelia, Lelia was born on June 6, 1885. Madam C. J. Walker founded a product for African-Americans that would help cure baldness. With that product, she went to the South and Southeast to advertise her product door to door. From selling all her products, she has become the first female African-American to be known as a millionaire.
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Walker Advertisement |
Madam C. J. Walker was dedicated to making lynching against the law, after the horrible incident of East St. Louis Race Riot of 1917. She donated a large portion of her money to an organization called National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); they were having an anti-lynching campaign. Walker was a main speaker of various NAACP’s fund raisers that supported anti-lynching in the Midwest and East. She edited her will to help support black schools, organizations, and individuals.
Page created on 12/19/2006 5:51:21 PM
Last edited 12/19/2006 5:51:21 PM