Women's History Month: Entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker's legacy still resonates today
NEW YORK -- As the country continues to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of women this month, on Monday CBS2 looked at the amazing life of one born to enslaved parents who grew to be one of this country's most successful entrepreneurs.
She was one of the most influential people of her time. Her products are still being sold today, and her legacy still resonates. CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas has the story of Madam C.J. Walker.
"It is a privilege to be able to tell her story, because it's so inspiring," A'Lelia Bundles said.
Bundles would know. She is Walker's great-great granddaughter, and the author of several books about her.
"The first thing that people think about Madam C.J. Walker is hair. She's a woman who founded a haircare products company," Bundles said.
Born Sara Breedlove in Louisiana in 1867, her parents and siblings were enslaved. Walker was the first in her family to be born free.
"By the time she died in 1919, at age 51, she was a millionaire who had founded a company and provided jobs for thousands of African-American women," Bundles said.
In fact, Walker was the first Black woman millionaire in this country.
The company Walker founded in 1906 was hair care products marketed and sold to Black women. Her factory and beauty school originated in Pittsburgh, then relocated to Indianapolis for more central transportation and distribution.
Walker arrived in New York in 1913.
"Her daughter persuaded her that they needed to have a presence in Harlem. They bought a building as Harlem was becoming the mecca for Black culture and politics," Bundles said. "They had visibility in a way that they would not have had in Indianapolis. And then they had one of the most fabulous houses in Harlem on 136th Street near Lenox."
The home became central to her business and ever-growing profile as a political activist, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. Walker's success, wealth and personal triumphs supported her substantial influence.
"Her homes were an inspiration," Bundles said.
And nothing was grander than Villa Lewaro, a 20,000 square-foot mansion she commissioned, completed in 1918, located in Irvington. This past summer, a couture fashion show was staged there.
"She intentionally built her home so that people could see it as they drove north. She mainly wanted, as she said, young Black boys and girls to be able to see what they could accomplish," Bundles said.
"What I do think she understood is the power of Black womanhood," said Dominique Jean-Louis, a curator at the New York Historical Society, who added Walker had a very informed approach to her life and business.
"It's also very savvy of her to be, you know, giving to Booker T. Washington and the NAACP, you know, making sure that she has the right friends in the city government," Jean-Louis said.
Walker might not have anticipated the longevity of her business -- a newly launched line of about a dozen "Madam" haircare products are now being sold at Walmart -- but she knew her customer, and the power of a voice that was there to serve them.
"Why do we count Black women out when they could be so important and powerful to the community? I think that's a huge lesson that she had the forethought to understand back then. And it's one we're still learning today," Jean-Louis said.