MADAM C.J. WALKER
Two days after Christmas, a prominent businesswoman named Madam C.J. Walker was born in Louisiana. When she was born, her name was Sarah Breedlove. Madam C.J. became the first female black millionaire in the United States, but it wasn’t easy. Her family didn’t have much money when she was growing up, and she had a difficult childhood. As soon as she was old enough to do so, she worked as laundress—someone who did other people’s laundry.
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One day, Sarah noticed that she was losing her hair. This bothered her, so she invented her own hair treatment. Other people who had the same problem soon wanted to use Sarah’s hair treatment. Sarah recognized that the hair loss she’d had to deal with was something other women suffered from, and that making products to help them would be a good business idea. By this time, Sarah was known as Madam C.J. Walker, so she called her treatment the “Walker System.”
Madam C.J. worked very hard, and toured around the country giving lectures and demonstrat
ions to promote her products. The Walker System of haircare products quickly became extremely popular. Her success earned Madam C.J. a lot of money. She donated much of her money to African American charities and provided money for women’s college scholarships. It wasn’t long before the business had more than 3,000 employees. Many of these employees were door-to-door saleswomen; C.J. provided good job opportunities for black women. Madam C.J. Walker was a brilliant businesswoman who overcame adversity to make her fortune.
What adversities have you experienced? Adversity is something we all face from time to time, but you don’t have to let it keep you from achieving your goals and being happy. Remember: it’s how you overcome these adversities that can make all the difference. Every challenge you conquer will strengthen your ability to face future adversities. You can be proud of yourself when you overcome adversity. It proves you are a good problem-solver.
Did you know that the main ingredients in Madam C.J. Walker’s famous shampoo were olive oil, coconut oil, and lye?