Madam Walker: America’s First Black Female Millionaire
Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, profoundly impacted American history as a pioneering entrepreneur and philanthropist. Rising from poverty, she became the first black self-made millionaire and used her success to uplift black women as a job creator and philanthropist. Walker invented the world’s first hair-straightening solution and/or the hot comb, transforming the hair care industry.
A Humble Beginning
Born to former slaves turned sharecroppers, Walker faced immense hardships early in life. Orphaned young, she worked in the cotton fields with her sister, Louvenia. At 14, she married Moses McWilliams to escape her abusive brother-in-law. When McWilliams died in 1887, Walker became a single mother to her daughter, Lelia (later A’Lelia).
In 1889, seeking a better life, Walker moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where her brothers were barbers. She worked as a laundress and cook, drawing inspiration from her African Methodist Episcopal Church community despite financial struggles and hair loss.
The Turning Point
Walker’s life changed in 1904 when she began using Annie Turbo Malone’s “The Great Wonderful Hair Grower” and became a sales agent for Malone. In 1905, she moved to Denver, Colorado, married Charles Joseph Walker, and launched her own line of hair products under the name “Madam C.J. Walker.” With just $1.25, she started her business, which would transform her life.
Supported by her husband, Walker established a mail-order business and expanded her product line. After their divorce in 1910, she moved to Indianapolis and built a factory for her Walker Manufacturing Company. She championed black women’s economic independence by establishing training programs in the “Walker System” for her network of licensed sales agents. Walker eventually employed 40,000 African American women and men across the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean. In 1917, she founded the National Negro Cosmetics Manufacturers Association.
Walker’s business thrived, with revenues exceeding $500,000 in her final year of life. Her net worth surpassed $1 million, and she owned homes in Harlem, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis, along with a mansion in Irvington, New York, known as “Villa Lewaro.”
Legacy of Giving Back
As her business prospered, Walker’s dedication to philanthropy and social justice intensified. She supported various causes, including the YMCA and educational initiatives for African American students. An active supporter of the anti-lynching movement, she generously donated to the NAACP’s efforts. Before her death from kidney failure, Walker revised her will, ensuring that two-thirds of her company’s future profits would go to charitable causes.
Walker’s legacy endures as a testament to her entrepreneurial spirit, philanthropy, and commitment to empowering black women.
Re-reported from the article originally published in She the People.
