Madam C.J. Walker lived a truly remarkable life, building a business empire catering to the cosmetic needs of black women. More than that, she educated and empowered members of the black community, providing them with jobs and skills, while elevating their perception not just of their own beauty, but, more crucially, of their capabilities.
Madam Walker was born Sarah Breedlove two days before Christmas in 1867. Her parents were former slaves, who, since the end of the Civil War, had worked as sharecroppers in Louisiana. Even at an early age, the odds were stacked against her–orphaned at the age of seven, she moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, and began working in the cotton fields. Desperate to escape her vicious brother-in-law, Sarah married at just 14, but tragedy struck…
