Sarah Breedlove was born on December 23, 1867, and died on May 25, 1919. She was also called Madam C. J. Walker, after marrying her second husband Charles J. This remarkable woman was an African-American civil rights activist, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. In fact, Breedlove was one of the first American women at the time to become a millionaire – the self-made kind. Breedlove, or Walker, made specialized hair products for African-American women.
Breedlove was born in Louisiana on a plantation; her parents had been freed from slavery. As a young child, she became orphaned. She suffered from a scalp disorder in the 1890s that led to her hair loss, so as a result, she decided to invent her own line of African-American hair care products. This…show more content… Charles Walker, was very supportive of his wife, helping her created ads for her products.
Breedlove, who had a keen business head, eventually created the Madame C.J. Walker Laboratories. This establishment trained salespeople, beauticians, and others to manufacture her hair products and cosmetics.
Breedlove became known across the U.S. for her large donations of money, in particular because she was African American. In fact, as a self-made millionaire, she donated a huge wad of money toward the Indianapolis YMCA construction in 1913. (Her business was moved to Indianapolis eventually.)
Walker followed a philosophy of "cleanliness and loveliness" in her business in order to advance the social, educational, and civil rights of the African-American community. Her company, as well as the conventions and clubs she made for her sales representatives, were extremely successful.
She divorced her husband in 1913, and then traveled throughout the Caribbean and also Latin America to promote her business and recruit teachers about her hair
