Madam CJ Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, was a successful African-American entrepreneur who created and sold her own line of hair care products. She was also a political activist and believed in the American dream. After being orphaned at seven, she worked in the cotton fields and married at 14 to escape abuse. She moved to St. Louis after her husband’s death and worked to fund her daughter’s education. She eventually became a sales rep for Annie Malone and later started her own business, promoting a scalp treatment called Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower. She continued to grow her business, including hair and scalp treatments, salons, and training schools. She was socially and politically active in Harlem and contributed to an anti-lynching movement organized by the NAACP. She attributed her success to faith in God, herself, perseverance, honesty, and hard work. She died at 51 from kidney failure and complications from high blood pressure.
Mrs. CJ Walker was an American businesswoman. Born December 23, 1867, she is best known for being a successful, self-made African-American entrepreneur, creating and selling her own line of hair care products. Madam Walker was also a political activist and a believer in the American dream.
Madam Walker was born Sarah Breedlove and was the daughter of former slaves. At the age of seven, she was orphaned and spent much of her early life working in the cotton fields of Louisiana and Mississippi with her older sister. She married her first husband, Moses McWilliams, at age 14. Marriage provided Sarah with a means to get away from an abusive brother-in-law.
Sarah gave birth to her only child, Leila Walker, on June 6, 1885. Her husband died in 1887 and she moved to St. Louis, working for less than two United States dollars (USD) a day. She used this money to fund an education for her daughter.
In 1890, he began to have a scalp problem which led to the loss of most of his hair. In an effort to solve this problem, he began trying a wide variety of home and commercial remedies. He also tried products made by an African American businesswoman named Annie Malone. Eventually, she Sarah moved to Denver and became one of Malone’s sales reps.
In 1905, Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker and changed her name to Madam CJ Walker. Carlo was her third husband. Madam Walker then started a business, promoting a scalp treatment called Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower. While many people believe that Mrs. Walker invented the straightening comb, they are incorrect. However, she has continued to grow her business to include hair and scalp treatments, salons and training schools. The Madam CJ Walker Manufacturing Company factory was built in Indianapolis in 1910.
In 1916, Madam Walker moved to New York, becoming both socially and politically active in Harlem. You contributed to an anti-lynching movement organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Later, she organized meetings of her agents, encouraging not only entrepreneurship but also political activism. She was a recognized patriot, but she considered it her duty to protest against injustice.
Ms. Walker attributed her success to faith in God, faith in herself, perseverance, honesty and a willingness to work hard. She has encouraged others to use the same things to seek their own success. Mrs. Walker died on May 25, 1919 at her New York estate. Her death was caused by kidney failure and complications from high blood pressure. She was only 51 years old.
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