Madam C. J. Walker – The First In America, African American Millionaire

Madam C. J. Walker is also known as Sarah Breedlove. And she was African-American businesswomen, philanthropist, and politician and public figures. And she was the first woman in America, who has become a millionaire and one of the richest African-American women, solely because of their abilities and hard work. Sarah Breedlove was born December 23, 1867 near the town of Delta in Louisiana in the family of Owen and Minerva (Anderson) Breedlove. The family was large: in addition to Sarah was still five children (the eldest sister of Louvain and four brothers: Alexander, James Solomon and Owen, Jr.). Interestingly, Sarah first child in a family that was born after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation (her brothers and sisters had to work with parents on Bernie plantation).

Madam C. J. Walker - The First In America, African American Millionaire

In the family circle. Among the prominent personalities, it occupies a special place for Sarah Breedlove – founder C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, which produces cosmetics and products for hair care products for black women. Sarah was known for his charity work and social activity. She made generous financial contributions to numerous organizations and was a patron of the arts. Manor Madam C.J. Walker “Villa LeVar” in Irvington-on-Hudson (New York) became a place for social gatherings for the African American community. In 1927, Madame Walker Theatre Center was opened in Indianapolis. Both of these sites have been included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Mother Sarah had died (as is customary today to consider) from cholera in 1872, and her father remarried, but he also died few years later. Orphaned at the age of seven years, Sarah moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi at the age of ten years and worked as a domestic servant. Prior to his first marriage, she lived with her older sister and Louvain stepbrother Jesse Powell.

In 1882, at the age of fourteen, Sarah married Moses McWilliams. All felt that early marriage is an attempt to avoid Sarah’s ill-treatment by her half-brother, with whom she lived before. June 6, 1885 Sarah and Moses had a daughter, A’Leliya Walker. When Moses died in 1887, Sarah was twenty years old, and daughter for only two years. The second time Sarah got married in 1894, but dropped her second husband, John Davis, in 1903, and in 1905 moved to Denver, Colorado. In January 1906, Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker, a traveling salesman of newspaper advertising from Missouri. Through this marriage, she was known as Madame CJ Walker. The couple divorced in 1912.

Even married daughter gave the surname of his stepfather, and since then it has become known as A’Leliya Walker. In 1888 Sarah moved with her daughter to St. Louis, Missouri, where her three brothers lived. There she found a job as a laundress. Although Sarah earned just a little more than one dollar a day, she was determined to make enough money to provide education of his daughter. It was at this time 21-year-old girl, as so often occurred among black women of her era, faced with a strong dandruff and hair loss. The cause of this skin disease and were in daily contact with products such as liquor, which was part of the soap.

Also, hair loss contributed to poor nutrition, disease and infrequent bathing and hair washing (because at that time most Americans lacked basic amenities such as indoor plumbing, central heating and electricity). Initially, Sarah found out about the care of hair from his brothers, who were barbers in St. Louis. According to the World Expo in St. Louis in 1904, she became a representative Annie Malone, African-American entrepreneur hair care and owner of the company Poro.

In 1910, Walker carried the business in Indianapolis, where she established the headquarters of the “Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.” The company began to develop at a rapid pace, and to increase sales Walker started teaching other women who wanted to become the “stylists of beauty” with “system Walker” (its method of hair care products, which has been designed to stimulate hair growth and improve the skin of the head). In line Walker product had several competitors. These products are manufactured in Europe and the other companies in the United States.

Madam C. J. Walker - The First In America, African American Millionaire