Madam CJ Walker: An African American Self-Made Millionaire
From: Liz Humes
Series: Wordy Birds
Length: 27:30
The daughter of slaves, Madam C. J. Walker was orphaned at seven, married at
fourteen and widowed at twenty. She spent the better part of the next two
decades laboring as a washerwoman for $1.50 a week. Then -- with the discovery
of a revolutionary hair care formula for black women -- everything changed. By
her death in 1919, Walker managed to overcome astonishing odds: building a
storied beauty empire from the ground up, amassing wealth unprecedented among
black women and devoting her life to philanthropy and social activism. Along the
way, she formed friendships with great early-twentieth-century political
figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.
On Her Own Ground is not only the first comprehensive biography of one
of recent history's most amazing entrepreneurs and philanthropists, it is about
a woman who is truly an African American icon. Drawn from more than two decades
of exhaustive research, the book is enriched by the author's exclusive access to
personal letters, records and never-before-seen photographs from the family
collection. Bundles also showcases Walker's complex relationship with her
daughter, A'Lelia Walker, a celebrated hostess of the Harlem Renaissance and
renowned friend to both Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. In chapters such
as "Freedom Baby," "Motherless Child," "Bold Moves" and "Black Metropolis,"
Bundles traces her ancestor's improbable rise to the top of an international
hair care empire that would be run by four generations of Walker women until its
sale in 1985. Along the way, On Her Own Ground reveals surprising
insights, tells fascinating stories and dispels many misconceptions.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
The daughter of slaves, Madam C. J. Walker was orphaned at seven, married at
fourteen and widowed at twenty. She spent the better part of the next two
decades laboring as a washerwoman for $1.50 a week. Then -- with the discovery
of a revolutionary hair care formula for black women -- everything changed. By
her death in 1919, Walker managed to overcome astonishing odds: building a
storied beauty empire from the ground up, amassing wealth unprecedented among
black women and devoting her life to philanthropy and social activism. Along the
way, she formed friendships with great early-twentieth-century political
figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.
On Her Own Ground is not only the first comprehensive biography of one
of recent history's most amazing entrepreneurs and philanthropists, it is about
a woman who is truly an African American icon. Drawn from more than two decades
of exhaustive research, the book is enriched by the author's exclusive access to
personal letters, records and never-before-seen photographs from the family
collection. Bundles also showcases Walker's complex relationship with her
daughter, A'Lelia Walker, a celebrated hostess of the Harlem Renaissance and
renowned friend to both Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. In chapters such
as "Freedom Baby," "Motherless Child," "Bold Moves" and "Black Metropolis,"
Bundles traces her ancestor's improbable rise to the top of an international
hair care empire that would be run by four generations of Walker women until its
sale in 1985. Along the way, On Her Own Ground reveals surprising
insights, tells fascinating stories and dispels many misconceptions.
