26
Mar
| One thing that brings a smile to my face is to look through history and discover people who made an impact despite the odds. Madame CJ Walker was such a woman. First, she was black, and secondly, she was a woman trying to make it in a white male-driven society in the early 1900s, well before what we understand to be the era of the birth of modern civil rights. Racism and sexism were both a pronounced standard in America at the time. Yet, despite both “isms,” she persisted and followed the divine dream in her heart. Madam C. J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Walker was the first female self-made millionaire in America. Through her business, the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for women of African descent. Walker became known also for her philanthropy and activism. Walker made financial donations to numerous organizations, such as the NAACP, and became a patron of the arts. Villa Lewaro Walker’s lavish estate in Irvington, New York, served as a social gathering place for the African-American community. At the time of her death, Walker was considered the wealthiest African-American businesswoman and wealthiest self-made black woman in America. Her name was a version of “Mrs. Charles Joseph Walker,” after her third husband. |
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