Description
Madam C. J. Walker was beloved within her community for her philanthropy and for supporting the local YMCA, but she couldn't have done that if she weren't the first American female self-made millionaire, and one of the most successful African American business owners ever. Born Sarah Breedlove, she was the first person born free in her family, but her parents died when she was seven. After her husband's death, she worked as a washerwoman and struggled to raise her daughter. Later, she married Charles Joseph Walker and became known as Madam C. J. Walker, the name she would later use on her hair care products. She began experimenting with shampoos and ointments to heal a condition that caused her to lose her hair. Through trial and error, she developed a formula that helped other women have healthy hair. Her company employed thousands of sales agents from all over the United States and the Caribbean. At her annual conventions she stressed education and volunteer work. She supported the African American community by funding scholarships for the Tuskegee Institute, contributing $5,000 to the NAACP's anti-lynching fund, and becoming a patron of the Harlem renaissance.
