BHM Spotlight: Madam C.J. Walker: A Black Life that Mattered
posted by Shakenna Moore | February 20, 2024 | In Arts and Culture, NewsAs we come to our midpoint of Black History Month, I would like to give flowers to an entrepreneur and philanthropist, the late Sarah Breedlove a.k.a. Madam C.J. Walker, because her Black life mattered.
Walker was the first African American woman to become a self-made millionaire. She initially did this by going door-to-door selling her hair products. She would also stand in the middle of the markets in town and tell her life story to Black women as they walked up and down the streets. Her diligence and persistence in making and selling products that she knew Black women needed are what would help her become successful. She trained women to become beauticians and encouraged them to love themselves and become independent.
While working hard to make her dreams come true, she would also make efforts to make others’ dreams come true. She donated money to different charities, orphanages, and the YMCA. She employed thousands of men and women in this country and across the globe.
If this teaches us anything at all, you can do whatever it is that you put your mind to.
She stated: “Do not sit down and wait for opportunities to come. Get up and make them.”
Not only are these words to live by, she defied the odds and did just what she said. She not only talked the talk, she walked the walk. We should all aspire to make such an impact on not only Black men and women, but on the world.
All of her hard work and dedication has left a mark on history that will live on. Black women to this day take pride in their hair by finding new ways to make themselves beautiful. They set trends that surpass all others and will forever be the prototype
Photo courtesy of Smithsonian National Museum of African American History
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