Rages to Riches Madam C J Walker A Self Made Millionaire
Rages to Riches: Madam C. J. Walker a Self-Made Millionaire “I am a woman that came from the cotton fields of the South; I was promoted from there to the wash-tubs; then I was promoted to the cook kitchen, and from there I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations.”(Lowry 1) This quote, stated by Madam C. J. Walker, shows the struggle that this African American icon had to endure to get to her point of prosperity. ... Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. ... Although beauty culture was a long-established tradition in African American communities, dating back to at least the 18th century, Madam C. J. Walker was still able shock the world with her revolutionary hair care formula for black women. ... ”(Bundles 1) Walker, through her contributions to the economy as a hair care industry pioneer, was able to brake the barrier dividing woman from the economy, and make way for them to prosper in the business world. There is no church record, family bible, or any accounts of a Sarah Breedlove in any census record until 1900, and by this time Sarah Breedlove, now called Madam C. J. Walker, had been married twice. ... During this time young Walker traveled to many places in search of stability. Although her early life may have seemed devastating and rough to outsiders, Walker is able to put it into better terms when she stated that “ At an early age I was thrown on my own resources, and with a heart full of inspiration to accomplish something in life, I sought the schoolhouse, books, and Sunday school… everything that had… an elevating influence. ... But to Walker, these were not her focus points. ... Walker would then go from making $1. ... ” (Lowry 70) Madam C. J. Walker states this quote at a convention. This proves to be true because without her beginning as a washerwoman, Walker would not have the determination to do better and she probably would not have rose to be the millionaire that she became. Destined to free herself from drudgery, and determined to free her daughter from the same fate, Walker began to pray for an answer to her problem: How was she going to better her conditions? ... Little did she know that this would be the cause to her becoming a millionaire. ... Being that Walker was a well dressed woman, all she needed was that desirable hair look that she seen all over newspaper and magazine covers: long tresses. There was nothing much that Walker could do with her hair, and she would soon begin to experiment. ... ”(Bundles 60) This quote was stated by Walker to many of the women she encountered on her journey to solve the hair loss problem. ... This did not stop Walker. ... The only thing left for Walker to do was begin twirling. ... These stories of prosperity and wealth drew the attention of Walker. ... Here, Walker proceeded door-to-door demonstrating her hair methods to the woman of Denver. She would eventually give it the name of The Walker Method or The Walker System. ... Under Walker, her agent-operators were hired to travel on her behalf to promote her products.