The Westside Gazette

Working with hair made her a millionaire

Growing the Voices of Our Future

The Westside Gazette Newspaper is honored to feature these editorial contributions made by local students.

Layla Davidson, 13

By Layla Davidson

Madam C.J. Walker created specialized hair products for African American hair care and was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire. Madam C.J. Walker invented a line of African American hair products after suffering from her own hair loss. She promoted her products by traveling around the country giving lectures and demonstrations and eventually established Madam C.J. Walker Laboratories to manufacture cosmetics and train sales beauticians. During the 1890s, Walker developed a scalp disorder that caused her to lose much of her hair, and she began to experiment with both home remedies and store-bought hair care treatments to try to improve her condition. In 1927, the Walker Building, an arts center that Walker had begun work on before her death, was opened in Indianapolis. An important African American cultural center for decades, it is now a registered National Historic Landmark. In 1998, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp of Walker as part of its “Black Heritage” series.

 

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