Madam C.J. Walker

Early Life

Madam C.J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove, on December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana to Owen and Minerva Breedlove. One of six children; she had a sister Louvenia and 4 brothers: Alexander, James, Solomon, and Owen Jr. Her parents were slaves to a parish farm owner Robert W. Burney. Although some sources claim her parents died during a yellow fever epidemic, that information is inaccurate. Her mother died first, possibly due to a Cholera outbreak in 1872. Her father remarried and died shortly afterward when she was seven years old. Sarah moved in with her older sister, Louvenia, and brother-in-law, Willie Powell. She later said she married Moses McWilliams when she was 14 years old to get a home of her own to escape Powell's abuse. Three years later, her daughter, Lelia McWilliams was born. When Sarah was 20, her husband died. Shortly afterward she moved to St. Louis where three of her brothers were barbers. She joined St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she sang in the choir and where she was greatly influenced by women members like Jessie Batts Robinson, a school teacher and wife of newspaper publisher, Chistopher Robinson. On August 11, 1894 Sarah married a man named John Davis. That marriage ended in 1903. In January 1906, she married a newspaper sales agent, Charles Joseph Walker. They divorced in 1912.

Career

Like many women of her era, Sarah experienced hair loss. Because most Americans lacked indoor plumbing, central heating and electricity, they bathed and washed their hair infrequently. The result was scalp disease. Sarah experimented with home remedies and products already on the market until she finally developed her own shampoo and an ointment that contained sulfur to make her scalp healthier for hair growth. Soon Sarah-now known as Madam C.J. Walker-was selling her products throughout the United States. While her daughter Lelia ran a mail order business from Denver, Madam Walker and her husband traveled throughout the southern and eastern states. They settled in Pittsburgh in 1908 and opened Lelia College to train "hair culturists." In 1910 Walker moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where she established her headquarters and built a factory. Walker died at Villa Lewaro on Sunday, May 25, 1919 from complications of hypertension. She was 51. At her death she was considered to be the wealthiest African-American woman in America and known to be the first African-American millionaire. Her daughter, A'Lelia Walker, became president of the C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.

Recognition

Madam Walker was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1992. In 2002, Molefi Kete Asante listed Madam C.J. Walker on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans. She also has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the National Cosmetology Hall of Fame and the National Direct Sales Hall of Fame. On 28 January 1998 the USPS, as part of its Black Heritage Series, issued the Madam C.J. Walker Commemorative stamp. On 16 March 2010, Congressman Charles Rangel introduced HJ81, a Congressional House Joint Resolution, honoring Madam C.J. Walker. That legislation currently awaits a vote. The Guinness Book of Records cites Walker as the first woman who became a millionaire because of her achievements.