Sarah Breedlove – better known as Madam C.J. Walker – was one of the greatest women in American history.
Born on December 23, 1867, to sharecropper parents who had once been enslaved, Sarah’s early life was marked by hardship. Orphaned at seven, married at fourteen, and widowed at twenty with a young daughter, she worked as a laundress to survive.
Yet from these struggles, she found her strength. Seeing that many Black women suffered from hair loss due to harsh living conditions and a lack of proper products, she began experimenting and eventually created her own line of beauty and hair care products.
She went on to establish the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company, training an army of “Walker Agents” across the country. Her vision and determination made her the first self-made Black woman millionaire in American history.
But Sarah’s true legacy lay beyond wealth. She gave generously to charity, funded scholarships, and supported the fight for civil rights. When she passed away on May 25, 1919, she left behind not just a fortune but an enduring symbol of courage, innovation, and hope.
Sarah Breedlove’s life proves one timeless truth: from poverty and injustice, one can rise to inspire millions.
