Self-made Milionaire

Sarah Breedlove also known as Madam C.J. Walker was born on December 23, 1867 in Louisiana. She was born into a family of 5 whose parents were former slaves. Yet she became an orphan at the age of 7 right after she was married at 14 to Moses McWilliams . She had her only child named A’Leia. When Moses passed away two years later, she decided to move to St. Louis. There she worked washing clothes and only getting paid $1.50 a day. During this time, Sarah had a scalp condition and lost much of her hair. She began making home remedies from which some turned out very effective. With the help of her second husband, Charles J. Walker, she was able to promote and advertise a hair care business. Her business would be mainly towards African Americans and their unique hairstyles. After the launch, Sarah would go door to door giving demonstrations of her products and recruiting people to teach others about hair care. Her business later expanded into a factory in Indianapolis where it became the headquarters for the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company. Sarah then kept traveling the U.S where she gave job opportunities and many African Americans the power of economic independence. By the time she got back, she had around 25,000 Walker sales agents. Then she began her work as a philanthropist, Sarah donated to the African American Young Men’s Christian Association and contributed to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s anti-lynching foundation. Along with donations, she was able to offer scholarships for black colleges and financial support for orphanages. Lastly, she became a political advocator fighting against lynching at the Negro Silent Protest Parade. From there, she also visited the White House to speak on behalf of the rights for African American soldiers who had fought in World War I. Sarah passed away on May 25, 1919,  her business was set at a value of more than 1 million and her being the owner, the personal fortune was between $600,000 and $700,000.  Her legacy continued with her daughter A'Lelia who organized The Dark Tower, a cultural beauty salon. A’Leia went on to become a huge part of the Harlem Renaissance era by entertaining writers, musicians, and artists from Harlem and Greenwich Village.