R e s e a r c h e d B y: L a y n e B r o o k s A U T H O R & P L A Y W R I G H T
Have you ever said to yourself, I can’ t do XYZ because of a lack of money, resources, or it’ s too hard, etc. Why do we talk ourselves out of destiny making opportunities? Why do we tend to give up if the task seems too much to bear? Who said, God’ s assignment is supposed to be easy? What if instead of waiting for easy, we become trailblazers and make a path for our destiny.
“ I got my start by giving myself a start.”
Her name is Madam C. J. Walker and she was born on December 23, 1867 and was given the name Sarah Breedlove. Her parents, Owen and Minerva were recently freed slaves and Sarah was their fifth child and was the first in her family to be born free. However, Sarah’ s mother died in 1874 and her father passed away a year later, leaving Sarah an orphan at the age of seven. After the passing of her parents, Sarah went to live with her sister, Louvinia and her brother-in-law.
“ I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations.”
In 1877, Sarah, her sister and brother-in-law moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi where Sarah picked cotton. Sarah didn’ t yet know what was in store for her but she knew it had to be more than what she currently had. Between the oppressive working environment and the frequent mistreatment at the hands of her brother-in-law, she planned her escape. At the age of 14, Sarah married a man named Moses McWilliams and in 1885, gave birth to their daughter, A’ Lelia. Unfortunately, her husband died just two years later. Then in 1894 she married John Davis, this marriage ended in divorce in 1903.
“ I am not ashamed of my humble beginning. Don ' t think because you have to go down in the washtub that you are any less of a lady!”
In 1877, Sarah, her sister and brother-in-law moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi where Sarah picked cotton. Sarah didn’ t yet know what was in store for her but she knew it had to be more than what she currently had. Between the oppressive working environment and the frequent mistreatment at the hands of her brother-in-law, she planned her escape. At the age of 14, Sarah married a man named Moses McWilliams and in 1885, gave birth to their daughter, A’ Lelia. Unfortunately, her husband died just two years later. Then in 1894 she married John Davis, this marriage ended in divorce in 1903.
Soon after, she and her young daughter moved to St. Louis, where her brothers had already established themselves as barbers; they taught her all about hair care. Sarah found work as a washerwoman, earning $ 1.50 a day while also sending her daughter to the city’ s public schools. Sarah met her third husband, Charles J. Walker, and married him in 1906. He worked in advertising and would later help promote her hair care business.
Sarah was willing to learn how to better her current situation. She developed friendships with other black women who were members of St. Paul A. M. E. Church and the National Association of Colored Women who were able to expose her to a new way of viewing the world. In addition, Sarah attended public night school whenever she could.
Around the 1890s, Sarah developed a disorder that caused severe dandruff and other scalp ailments that caused her to lose much of her hair. This caused her to experiment with both home remedies and store-brought hair care treatments in an attempt to correct her condition. In 1904, she became a commission agent selling products for Annie Turnbo Malone, an African-American haircare entrepreneur. In July 1905, at the age of 37 years old, Sarah and her daughter A’ Lelia moved to Denver, Colorado, where she initially continued to sell products for Malone while developing her own haircare business.
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