Madam C. J. Walker Biography

Madam C.J. Walker was an African- American women entrepreneur, philanthropist, political and social activist. Madam C.J Walker invented hair products after she faced a scalp ailment, for which this resulted in her own hair loss made a fortunate venture out of it. Madam C.J. Walker promoted her own hair products by traveling around her home country giving lectures and demonstrations to establish her company.

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Her business venture bloomed her to be the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire. Madam was also known for her philanthropic endeavors. She donated towards the construction of an Indianapolis YMCA in 1913. Now, we can watch Walker's life in a TV show titled ‘Self Made’ which aired in the year 2020.  

We will discuss life facts, her growth as a women entrepreneur in C.J. Walker biography. Students and we youth must take inspiration from her thought process – thinking about others after suffering self-loss. Madam C.J. Walker biography teaches us acute strength and capacity to fight the odds.

Early Life of Madam C.J. Walker

Madam C.J. Walker was less of a writer but more of an entrepreneur woman in her times, hence Madam C.J. Walker autobiography is not found to date, but, many writers wrote her biography based on her life struggle, and later fame and success. C.J. Walker’s biography tells us about the event of the birth of this great entrepreneur. Sarah Breedlove was born on December 23, in the year 1867, on a cotton plantation near the location Delta, Louisiana. 

Madam C.J. Walker Family 

Her parents - Owen and Minerva, were enslaved and they were recently freed, and Sarah, who was their fifth child, was the first in her family to be free-born at those times.

Minerva died in the year 1874 and Owen passed away the following year, her parents passed away due to unknown causes, leaving Sarah an orphan at the mere age of seven. After Sarah’s parents' passing, she was sent to live with her sister named Louvinia, along with her brother-in-law. Three of them moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the year 1877. In Vicksburg, Sarah picked cotton and was likely to be employed doing the household work. In Madam C.J. Walker’s biography, employment in household work was mentioned although no documentation existed which verified her employment at the time.

Eloping, Marriage and A Daughter

At age 14, Sarah decided to escape both her oppressive working environment and her frequent mistreatment which she suffered silently at the hands of her brother-in-law. After eloping, Sarah married Moses McWilliams. On June 6, in the year 1885, Sarah gave birth to a daughter named A'Lelia. 

Death of Her Husband

After their daughter’s birth Moses died two years later, Sarah with her daughter A'Lelia moved to St. Louis, where Sarah's brothers picked her to establish themselves as barbers. In that salon, Sarah found work as a washerwoman, she earned $ 1.50 a day — this was enough to send her daughter to the city's public schools.

Fortunate Sarah and Second Marriage

Sarah attended public night school whenever she could to complete her own study. Fate turned towards Sarah when she met her second husband Charles J. Walker in St. Louis. Charles J. Walker, worked in advertising, and by this virtue, he could later help promote her hair care business country-wide.

Sarah Trying Remedies for Her Hair Loss

During the time of 1890s, Sarah developed a scalp disorder which cost her losing of much of her hair. She started to experiment with both her home-made own remedies and with hair care treatments which she bought from the drug store. She tried relentlessly in an attempt to improve her hair loss condition. 

Turn of Her Career

In the year 1905, she became a commission agent. She was hired by the successful Annie Turnbo Malone. She was another Black businesswoman, a hair-care product entrepreneur. In this connection, Sarah moved to Denver, Colorado to start working in Annie Turnbo Malone’s business. 

Madam C.J. Walker Company

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Sarah's husband, helped her to create many attractive advertisements for a hair care treatment for the African Americans where she was actually perfecting in. Her husband at this time encouraged her to use the more recognizable name - "Madam C.J. Walker," and by this name later she became widely popular. 

In the year 1907 Walker and her husband traveled towards the South and to the Southeast for promoting the hair care products and giving lectures and demonstrations of her famous "Walker Method" — which involved her own formula for pomade, brushing, and the using of heated combs.

What Motivated her to be ‘Madam C.J. Walker?

Walker's own hair loss prompted her to seek a cure which led to being ‘Madam C.J. Walker’s in grow her entrepreneurship in the line of hair care products. 

After Madam couldn't find a sure shot solution for her own hair loss, she decided to take this problem into her own hands.

Problem of All

In the 1890s, Walker began to lose her hair due to scalp problems which was a general problem of all black women at that time, she was not the only one Black woman to experience hair loss. Families lived without indoor plumbing and thus shampooing the hair was not an option for those black women, this gave rise to lice and pollutants in that untreated, unhealthy hair.

At that time, black women wore head wraps to hide their bald patches, but Walker didn't want to follow the same path. For one thing, she thought, such attire would mark her vulnerable lower social status, while she sought to elevate herself. So, she herself started upon a search for a cure for her hair loss.

Hair Growth and Beauty – Not to change but to embrace and love

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With her own hair grower method, Walker's early products included a Glossine (which is a pressing oil) and a vegetable shampoo along with it. She urged her clients to shampoo their hair more often and to follow her "Walker System," which is used for the hair to grow. Her system included oil and hot combs, to produce healthy hair. This was clear, though Walker popularized the hot combs which were used to straighten the hair, Walker's goal was never to alter the appearance of Black women's hair but to give their hair the benefit.

"Let me correct the erroneous impression held by some that I claim to straighten hair," Walker said. "I deplore such an impression because I have always held myself out as a hair culturist. I grow hair." The Walker product line grew to another line as well, which included creams and soaps, but Walker always stayed focused on the health of their clients' hair and helping other women to take pride in themselves and of their appearance.

Profits and Success

As the profits continued to grow, in the year 1908 Walker opened a factory and a beauty school in the location called Pittsburgh, and by the year 1910, Walker transferred her business operations to Indianapolis, the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company became wildly popular and successful, with the profits the business became the modern-day equivalent of several other million dollars.

In Indianapolis, the company did not only manufacture cosmetics but the company also trained many sales beauticians. They were known as the "Walker Agents" who became well known throughout the Black communities of the United States. In turn, these agents promoted Walker's philosophy of "cleanliness and loveliness" this was a means of advancing the status of African American women. 

She has recognized not only the successful sales but also the philanthropic and educational efforts among all other African American women.

Death of Walker

Walker died of hypertension on May 25, in the year 1919. She was only 51, at the time of her death. 

MCJW Products 

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In the year 1981, the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company ceased all its operations. Now you can find a line of cosmetics and hair-care products bearing the name Madam C.J Walker Beauty Culture (MCJW) is available at the Sephora retailers.

‘Self Made – inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker – Starring Octavia Spencer

Walker's life is being well portrayed in the 2020 TV show called Self Made, with Octavia Spencer who is portraying as Madam Walker. This show is available on Netflix. The story revolves around the women entrepreneur who took matters into her hand when she could not solve her own problem. She established her empire-style business from the scratch. The show is in a form of series. This is a must-watch series for all you and women and budding entrepreneurs.  

Madam C. J. Walker Fun Facts

Here we will know Madam C.J. Walker’s facts which are based on her. The facts are as follows:

• Madam first worked as a laundress

• Her hair products were initially made for black women. 

• Madam created a beauty culture empire.

• Madam C.J. Walker’s mansion will start hosting more female entrepreneurs.  

MCJW products are still capturing the beauty market. This resembles the power and capacity the beauty brand had in the times of Madam Walker. Through studying C.J. Walker biography we pay boundless respect to this woman entrepreneur who has changed the life of many American-African Black Women.