Early Life
Madam C.J. Walker was born as Sarah Breedlove on December
23, 1867 at Delta, Louisiana to two freed slaves. After being orphaned at seven
years old, Breedlove and her older sister supported themselves by picking
cotton. They eventually moved from Delta to nearby Vicksburg.
At the age of fourteen years old, Breedlove married Moses
McWilliams to escape abuse from her cruel brother-in-law Jesse Powell. On June 6, 1885, she gave birth to her
only child, Lelia, who later changed her name to A’Lelia. Two years later, when
she was twenty years old, Breedlove’s husband was lynched by a white mob and
died. She then moved to St. Louis to work as a barber alongside her four
brothers. By juggling her additional jobs as a laundrywoman, cook, and
housekeeper, Breedlove eventually saved up enough money for Lelia’s education.
She also became active in the National Association of Colored Women as well as
in the church.
The Beginning of a Great Business
Like most African Americans during this time, Breedlove only
washed her hair once a month. As a result, she suffered severe dandruff, which
developed into a scalp disease that caused her to lose most of her hair. She
tried multiple products to grow her hair back but they did not work. But one
night, Breedlove claims, she had a dream that a large black man gave her the
recipe to cure hair loss. She carried out this recipe, mixing the ingredients
in her washtub and selling the mixtures.
In 1905, Breedlove moved to Denver. There she worked for
Annie Malone, a black businesswoman who also made hair care products. She
consulted with a pharmacist to better Malone’s formula as well as her own.
While in Denver, Breedlove also married her third husband Charles Joseph Walker
and changed her name to Madam C.J. Walker. Through her husband’s help, Walker
created Madam C.J. Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower System and hence, founded her
business. The Walker System consisted of shampoo, pomade, hair grower, vigorous
brushing, and heated combs. Walker advertised it to turn to stubborn dull hair
to shiny, silk-smooth hair.
Promotion and Growth
For the next year and a half, Walker traveled throughout the
South to promote her products especially through demonstrations in churches and
public halls. In 1908, she opened a college for future employees to train in
hair styling and the specific “Walker Method.” After finishing the college, the
students would become official “Walker Agents” and start visiting homes to
dress hair and sell Walker products. This provided educational as well as
employment opportunities to African Americans that previously could not find a
job or go to school.
In 1908, Walker built her second office in Pittsburgh. In
addition, two years later, she moved operations from Denver to Indianapolis.
Again, through her business, she gave more job opportunities to African
American women as they could earn five to fifteen dollars a day compared to
unskilled white laborers who earned eleven dollars a week. At this time, Walker
also built another factory, training school, and a new hair and manicure salon.
In 1913, Walker traveled to Central America and the
Caribbean to promote her products. In 1916, she moved to New York and left the
day-to-day operations of her business to Ransom and Alice Kelly, her factory
manager and former school teacher respectively.
Walker made most of her wealth from 1911 to 1917. During
this time, she became the first woman to become a self-made millionaire.
Philanthropy
Walker used her fame for both the promotion of her products
as well as for philanthropy. She gave many speeches preaching about hard work
and determination, inspiring many women to start their own businesses. She
donated thousands of dollars to black charities. Walker funded the construction
of a black YMCA in Indianapolis and the restoration of Frederick Douglass’s
home in Washington D.C. In addition, she contributed to scholarships at Tuskgee
Institute.
In 1917, a white mob lynched and killed more than three
dozen blacks in St. Louis, Illinois. As a result, Walker donated five thousand
dollars and traveled with a group of Harlem leaders to the White House.
Together, they presented a civil rights bill to President Woodrow Wilson to
prevent lynching.
Later Life
Walker organized her Walker Agents into clubs. She held a
Madam C.J. Walker Hair Culturists of America Convention in 1917. In addition to
using it to reward and motivate her employees, she wanted to encourage
political activism. It was one of the first national meetings of businesswoman.
Towards the latter part of her life, Walker developed hypertension, which
caused a reduction in her activities. She eventually died at the age of 52 at
her mansion, Villa Lewaro.
