Madam C.J. Walker

Here at Better Bookkeepers we are honoring our local businesses by celebrating Black Business Month for the entire month of August! To start it off here is a small biography of Madam C.J. Walker who was one of the first black woman millionaires.

“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.”

Madam Walker July 1912

Madam CJ Walker was said to be the “First Black Woman Millionaire in America” because of her extreme success in hair care and products. She worked her way from an uneducated farm laborer and laundress to one of the most successful self-made women entrepreneurs. Her passion for hair care stemmed from her personal experience with hair loss and the struggle to find a solution to help. She began selling her “Wonderful Hair Grower” and other products by traveling the South and going door by door to potential buyers. By 1910 she built the nation's largest manufacturing center which was home to her factory, salon, and training school. She held the first national meeting of business women in the country in 1917 to not only reward her agents but also to encourage political activism. She believed in America and thought there was no better place to be in the world. Madam C.J. Walker used her name and power that she worked so hard to build up against the current injustice in her country to help make it as great as she believed it to be. By the time of her passing she had established quite the legacy for herself and was considered a pioneer of the modern black hair care and set standards in the African American community.

To learn more about her amazing journey please head to www.madamcjwalker.com

Sources:

Madam Walker Essay” from www.madamcjwalker.com by A’Lelia Bundles

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/madame-c-j-walker

Images Source: http://www.madamcjwalker.com