Madame C. J. Walker and
A'Lelia Walker
The Life and Times of A Mother and Daughter Partnership
Meager Beginnings Progress Inspirational Words
Life and Times Ultimate Success A' Lelia
The Innovation Voice in Politics Legacy
Sarah Breedlove, more commonly known as Madame C.J. Walker, was born on December 23, 1867 and grew up in Delta, Louisiana. Her parents, both ex-slaves, were sharecroppers who lived on the Burney plantation. Although slavery had ended, the lives of former slaves had changed very little (Brodie 115). Living conditions were still unbearable and the work hours were excruciating. As a result of this, her parents died of yellow fever on the plantation when she was only seven years of age (Brodie 116). She then moved in with her older sister, Louvinia. Louvinia’s husband has been reported of beating Sarah when she was young (Brodie 116). It has been said that the physical abuse she had suffered at such a young age, “...may have influenced Sarah to marry Moses McWilliams in 1881 when she was fourteen,” (Brodie 116).
With McWilliams Sarah had a child, Lelia Walker, who was later called A’Lelia during the Harlem Renaissance. Her husband was murdered by a white lynch mob only two years after their daughter was born. For twenty years she did backbreaking work as a washerwoman in Vicksburg and St. Louis (Roberts 178). While working as a laundry woman, she was able to save money, educate A'Lelia, and join the National Association of Colored Women in the 1880’s. She later moved to Denver and married Charles Joseph Walker. It was at this time she changed her name to Madame C.J. Walker.
Walker's first influential experience with hair was in 1904 at the St. Louis World's Fair. Here she was introduced to various black leaders and also beautiful black women, "women with hair." (Roberts 178). She redesigned the hot comb handles and teeth to make them more useful on black hair (Nelson 86). Due to her poor diet, Walker suffered from hair loss herself. Her main product was “Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower,” which healed the scalp and helped hair growth. Walker is said to have had a dream that led her to her amazing discovery of the “Wonderful Hair Grower.”
"One night I had a dream…. A big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in fast than it had even fallen out." - Madam C.J. Walker (Brodie 116).
Walker's black beauty market was opened during a period of racial segregation and prejudice. Early on, she began experimenting with hair products and after discovering her "miracle product" she found that in, "weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out. I tried it on my friends; it helped them. I made up my mind that I would begin to sell it." (Nelson 86). Soon Walker had to quit her job and focus primarily on her rapidly booming business. Her beauty system included the hot comb, Wonderful Hair Grower, Glossine hair oil, Temple Grower, and a Tetter Salve for psoriasis of the scalp (Nelson 86). A'Lelia helped her mother by running the beauty company out of Denver while Madame Walker and her husband Charles Joseph Walker toured the country, especially the south, promoting their product. Charles was a marketing expert and he “came up with the door-to-door sales concept that became Walker’s trademark." (Brodie 117). Charles and Sarah were a great team when it came to selling her products, but their marriage failed horribly when Charles started to become jealous of his wife’s success. Although they divorced, Sarah decided to keep his name.
In 1908, Madame Walker created a college for her future employees. They were trained in the art of hair styling. Leila College, run by A'Lelia herself, taught their students what became known as the Walker Method (Brodie 117). After their schooling, most of the graduates from this college were employed by Walker herself. She and her company employed over 3,000 people at one point. The business boomed, and its operations moved to Indianapolis. The city’s railroad system was utilized for mass dispersion of her products. All of this made C.J. Walker the first African American woman to become a millionaire. The fame received by this hard work gave her the inspiration to promote her product in lectures, which in turn helped other black women start their own businesses. She was an inspirational speaker, like many famous African Americans of the time, preaching her hard work, as well as the determination she had through her struggles.
Madame CJ Walker was an advocate in the making of anti-lynching laws after the East St. Louis Riot of 1917. Her fame gave her the right to become a prominent figure and an icon for African American Rights. Walker immersed herself in political struggles such as the rights of World War I veterans (Willett 24). She spoke at NAACP meetings in support of anti-lynching laws as well as donating large amounts of money to the anti-lynching campaign. She also petitioned at the White House with various black leaders such as W.E.B. Dubois and James Weldon Johnson demanding that, "lynching and mob violence be made a national crime punishable by the laws of the United States." (Willett 24). Even her beauty shops became defined as political stations and she made sure that her beauty agents, "become community leaders and political lobbyists." (Willett 24). In addition, her will was dispersed among African American schools, orphanages, retirement homes, and YMCAs. She dedicated her fortunate life to the advancement of African Americans.
In 1918, a large estate was constructed and used as a meeting place for prominent businessmen and national organizations to discuss politics sand racial issues. "... it is not built for me, it is built for my people so they can see what can be accomplished...." (Marcus 26). In the spring of 1919, Madame CJ Walker died at the age of 52. She was an important role model for African Americans, giving hope not only to women, but to all blacks that one day they could become wealthy and famous. A quote from Walker expressing her inspirational words are follows, “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground,”(Bellis).
Even though Madame CJ Walker was important to African Americans in the early 1900s, her daughter A' Lelia was a significant figure during the Harlem Renaissance. After her mother died, A’Lelia Walker took over her mother’s business becoming the new president. Although A'Lelia did not have as much interest in the business as her mother, she kept the company growing through firm management. In 1927, the Walker building, costing one million dollars, was constructed in Indianapolis, "fulfilling a dream of Madame's eight years after her death." (Nelson 86). She ran the mansion known as "The Dark Tower," as a salon for black artists and intellectuals (Roberts 178). She supported the writers, poets, and musicians of the Renaissance while welcoming them into her home and allowed them to participate in somewhat of a “think tank” experience. Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Carl Van Vechten, as well as others held her in high regard. In fact, Carl Van Vechten, in his book Nigger Heaven, created a character, Adora Boniface, based on A’Lelia. She had a floor set aside for the artists to work as well as an art exhibit. Countee Cullen was said to have given the estate the infamous title of “The Dark Tower” and he and Hughes frequented the building (
http://www.nathanielturner.com/aleliawalker.htm).
In 1922, A’Lelia
Walker visited the Ethiopian Empress Waizeru Zauditu and was the only westerner
to do so. She visited South Africa and expressed her love for her native
continent. As time progressed, the partying caught up with her and began to wear
her down. The Great Depression put an end to these parties as well as the closing
of the Dark Tower in 1930. A’Lelia Walker died on August 16th, 1931
and every prominent African American of the Harlem Renaissance was at her
funeral
(
Madame C.J. Walker's greatest legacy was the impact she made on the career of beauty culture for black women. Although there were increased employment opportunities in the urban north, female migrants had to battle with issues such as racial segregation as well as class and gender restrictions. Not only did she assist black women with educational opportunities, but she made it her goal to create a safe and comfortable place in which black women could be "pampered." She believed that this kind of attention would boost self-confidence and alleviate the daily stress that black women suffered from. In addition to feeling physical beauty, she wanted women to, "combine these qualities with a beautiful mind and soul." (
Willett 24). Walker was also successful in establishing a precedent for future African American generations. Her various achievements, community involvement, and political activism provided a role model for future hairdressing industries in the twentieth century. She also contributed to the idea of Black pride and self-confidence by showing to African American people that they can achieve success through determination and hard work (Marcus 26).
Created By:
Nadine Hurd
Joetta Jackson
Emily Juricek
Steve Horvath