Madam C.J. Walker

Hello. My name is Madam C.J. Walker, but I was not always called that. I was born with the name Sarah Breedlove on December 23rd, 1867, in Louisiana. A special thing about my birth is that I was the first person in my family to be born free. My parents had been enslaved before I was born. My childhood was very tough. My parents passed away when I was only seven years old, which made me an orphan. I went to live with my older sister and had to start working right away. I worked as a laundress, which meant I washed clothes all day long just to earn money. It was very hard work for a young girl like me.

As I grew older, I started to have a problem that made me very sad. My hair began falling out. I tried all sorts of different products to make my scalp feel better and help my hair grow back, but nothing seemed to work. I thought about it and realized that if I could not find a product that helped me, maybe I could create one myself. In 1905, I moved to a new city called Denver, Colorado. There, I began experimenting in my own kitchen. I mixed and tested different ingredients until I finally created a special ointment that really worked. I was so proud, and I called it 'Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower.'

In 1906, I married a wonderful man named Charles Joseph Walker. That is when I changed my name to Madam C.J. Walker. He knew all about advertising, which is how you tell people about something new, and he helped me share my products with everyone. I did not just put my products in a store. I traveled all over the country and sold them door-to-door. I loved showing other Black women how my hair care system could help them feel good. I also trained thousands of women to sell my products and start their own businesses. We called them 'Walker Agents.' My company grew bigger and bigger, and in 1910, I built a new headquarters and a factory in Indianapolis, Indiana, to make all my products.

My business made me very successful, and people often say I was one of the first self-made female millionaires in America. But the most important thing to me was helping others. I used my money to support my community. I gave money to schools and to groups like the NAACP that worked to make sure everyone was treated fairly. I lived to be 51 years old. Today, people remember me as an entrepreneur who proved that with a good idea, a lot of hard work, and a giving heart, you can achieve your dreams and help lift others up with you.