Madam C.J. Walker, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Political and Social Activist (1867)

Image: Madam C.J. Walker hair products displayed at The Women’s Museum, Dallas, Texas. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

“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.”¹

Sarah Breedlove Is Born

On December 23, 1867, Sarah Breedlove was born on a plantation in Delta, Louisiana. Sarah’s parents, Owen and Minerva Anderson Breedlove, were emancipated slaves-turned-sharecroppers after the United States Civil War. The Breedloves had six children; Sarah became the world famous entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist Madam C.J. Walker…

Image: “Madam Walker and several friends in her automobile, 1911.” Source: Wikimedia Commons.

“Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for black women through the business she founded, Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company.”²

In addition to becoming the first documented and confirmed, self-made millionairess listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, Madam C.J. Walker:

• was an activist for the advancement of black Americans
• donated $5,000 to support the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
• was an anti-lynching activist
• paid tuition for six African American students to attend Tuskegee Institute
• made contributions to the Colored Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)
• owned Villa Lewaro, a mansion located in an affluent neighborhood in Irvington, Long Island, New York
• owned real estate properties in Harlem, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and St. Louis, Missouri

In her last will, Madam Walker bequeathed two-thirds of future net profits to charity.

Related:

• Madam C.J. Walker | Official Site
  https://madamcjwalker.com/
• First self-made millionairess | Guinness World Records
  https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-self-made-millionairess
• Madam C.J. Walker: The Ultimate Self-Made Woman | Medium
  https://medium.com/@garyhoov/madam-c-j-walker-the-ultimate-self-made-woman-f370e0493721
• The Collectivist Roots of Madam C.J. Walker’s Philanthropy | Black Perspectives (aaihs.org)
  https://www.aaihs.org/the-collectivist-roots-of-madam-c-j-walkers-philanthropy/
• Madam C.J. Walker | National Women’s History Museum
  https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/madam-cj-walker

Footnotes:

1. madamcjwalker.com, “Madam C.J. Walker,” https://madamcjwalker.com/
2. Wikipedia, “Madam C.J. Walker,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_C._J._Walker

Sources:

1. madamcjwalker.com, “About Madam C.J. Walker,” https://madamcjwalker.com/about/
2. Chicago – Michals, Debra.  “Madam C. J. Walker.” National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/madam-cj-walker.
3. Tyrone McKinley Freeman, “The Collectivist Roots of Madam C. J. Walker’s Philanthropy,” https://www.aaihs.org/the-collectivist-roots-of-madam-c-j-walkers-philanthropy/
4. Wikipedia, “Madam C.J. Walker,” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_C._J._Walker

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