Madam C.J. Walker

Originally born Sarah Breedlove, Madam C.J. Walker was a renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist.

In the early 1900s, she worked as a sales agent for Annie Turnbo Malone's "The Great Wonderful Hair Grower." During that time, she also worked as a cook for a pharmacist who taught her basic chemistry. She perfected an ointment that healed dandruff and other hygiene-related scalp problems. Scalp ailments were common for women at the time due to the lack of indoor plumbing and electricity which made regular hygiene difficult. She launched her own line of hair products for Black women in 1905, "Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower."

C.J. was gifted with incredible business and marketing prowess. Being Black and a woman, she was excluded from most trades and denied financing due to Jim Crow laws and sexism. She seized an opportunity to serve a community of women typically ignored by mainstream beauty and cosmetic brands.

And she did more than just sell products to Black women. She created a business model where other Black women could gain financial independence by becoming "Walker Agents." C.J. created an international network of educated sales teams and became a household name.

In her success, philanthropy and political activism became a focus. She donated large sums of money to associations that served the Black community, including the NAACP, the Tuskegee Institute, and the National Conference on Lynching, among other smaller local groups.