Lost Black History – Free weekly contribution for NNPA members.
By Don Valentine
Madam C.J. Walker’s meteoric, trailblazing business sojourn, employing nearly 40,000, is nothing short of phenomenal, especially considering the repressive era of American history in which it occurred—a time when slavery had just been outlawed and women lacked voting rights. Yet, her exploits are barely mentioned in schools.
Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 to former slaves, Madam Walker, the first freeborn in her family, married at 14, and widowed at 20. Madam Walker moved to St. Louis with her daughter, working as a laundress and met Charles J. Walker, who inspired her empire’s name. Thus, “C.J.” was born. Because, in that era, naming your company after your husband was just good business…for him.
Inspired by her own hair loss from a scalp disorder, she created hair care products for Black women, developing a revolutionary treatment. Her snappy branding, known as the “Walker System,” distinguished her from dominant White-manufacturers. The “Walker System,” encompassing scalp preparation, lotions, and a custom pomade, was a wild success. In 1907 she traveled around the South promoting her products and giving lectures at local beauty salons and Church’s. She sold her products door-to-door, while teaching women hair care and styling.
In 1908 Madam Walker opened a factory and a beauty school in Pittsburgh, and by 1910, when she moved her operations to Indianapolis, the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company was a Black household name. She recruited hundreds of women to do the door to door sales. They were called “Walker Agents” and promoted her philosophy of “cleanliness and loveliness” for Black women. Thanks to the “Walker Agents” her products like Wonderful Hair Grower, Glossine and Vegetable Shampoo gained a rabid following. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized her as the first female (of any race) self-made millionaire in America.
When asked her secret to success, she humbly stated, ‘There is no royal, flower-strewn path to success. If there is, I have not found it. If I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard.’ With her growing wealth, she amplified her activism and philanthropy, donating over $100,000 to the poor and institutions before her death in 1919. Madam C.J. Walker was a phenomenal Black force.
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