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'{{short description|19th and 20th-century African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist}} {{for|the TV series|Madam C.J. Walker (TV series)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}} {{Infobox person | birth_name = Sarah Breedlove | name = Madam C.J. Walker | image = Madam CJ Walker face circa 1914.jpg | caption = Walker {{circa|1914}} | birth_date = {{birth date|1867|12|23|mf=y}} | birth_place = [[Delta, Louisiana|Delta]], [[Fifth Military District]] ([[Louisiana]]), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1919|5|25|1867|12|23|mf=y}} | death_place = [[Irvington, New York]], U.S. | resting_place = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)]] | occupation = {{hlist|Businesswoman|hair care entrepreneur|philanthropist|activist}} | known_for = Founder of [[Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company]] | net_worth = | spouse = {{Ubl | {{marriage|Moses McWilliams|1882|1887|reason=died}} | {{marriage|John Davis|1894|1903|reason=div}} | {{marriage|Charles Walker|1906|1913|reason=div}} }} | children = [[A'Lelia Walker]] | relatives = [[A'Lelia Bundles]] (great–great granddaughter) | website = {{URL|madamcjwalker.com}} | footnotes = }} '''Madam C.J. Walker''' (born '''Sarah Breedlove'''; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America in the ''[[Guinness Book of World Records]]''.<ref name="Guinness">{{cite web |title=First self-made millionairess |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-self-made-millionairess |publisher=Guinness World Records |access-date=22 March 2020}}</ref> Multiple sources mention that although other women (like [[Mary Ellen Pleasant]]) might have been the first, their wealth is not as well-documented.<ref name="Guinness"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bundles |first1=A’Lelia |title=Madam C.J. Walker: A Brief Biographical Essay |url=http://madamcjwalker.com/about/ |website=www.madamcjwalker.com |publisher=Official Website of Madam C.J. Walker |access-date=22 March 2020 |date=2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/madam-walker-the-first-black-american-woman-to-be-a-self-made-millionaire/|title=Madam Walker, the First Black American Woman to Be a Self-Made Millionaire {{!}} The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross {{!}} PBS|last1=Gates|first1=Henry Louis|last2=Root|first2=Jr {{!}} Originally posted on The|date=2013-11-15|website=The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-22}}</ref> Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of [[cosmetics]] and [[hair care]] products for [[black women]] through the business she founded, [[Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company]]. She became known also for her philanthropy and activism. She made financial donations to numerous organizations and became a [[patron of the arts]]. [[Villa Lewaro]], Walker's lavish estate in [[Irvington, New York]], served as a social gathering place for the African-American community. At the time of her death, she was considered the wealthiest African-American businesswoman and wealthiest self-made black woman in America.<ref>{{cite triumph|page=75}}</ref> Her name was a version of "[[Mrs#Traditional usage|Mrs.]] Charles Joseph Walker," after her third husband. ==Early life== Sarah Breedlove was born on December 23, 1867, close to [[Delta, Louisiana]]. Her parents were Owen and Minerva (Anderson) Breedlove.<ref name=BWA1209>Bundles, "Madam C J (Sarah Breedlove) Walker, 1867–1919" in ''Black Women in America'', v. II, p. 1209.</ref><ref name=Bundles-website>{{cite web|last1=Bundles|first1=A'Lelia|title=Madam C.J. Walker|url=http://www.madamcjwalker.com/bios/madam-c-j-walker/|website=Madame C. J. Walker|access-date=February 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225043003/http://www.madamcjwalker.com/bios/madam-c-j-walker/|archive-date=February 25, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> She had five siblings, who included an older sister, Louvenia, and four brothers: Alexander, James, Solomon, and Owen Jr. Her older siblings were enslaved by Robert W. Burney on his Madison Parish plantation. Sarah was the first child in her family born into freedom after the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] was signed. Her mother died in 1872, likely from cholera (an epidemic traveled with river passengers up the Mississippi, reaching Tennessee and related areas in 1873). Her father remarried but died a year later.<ref name="biography" /> She was orphaned at the age of seven. Sarah moved to [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]], at the age of 10, where she lived with Louvenia and her brother-in-law, Jesse Powell. She started working as a child as a [[domestic servant]].<ref name=BWA1209/><ref name=indiana-history>{{cite web | title=Madam C. J. Walker | url=https://indianahistory.org/education/educator-resources/famous-hoosiers/madam-c-j-walker/ | publisher=[[Indiana Historical Society]] }}</ref> “I had little or no opportunity when I started out in life, having been left an orphan and being without mother or father since I was seven years of age,” she often recounted. She also recounted that she had only three months of formal education, which she learned during Sunday school literacy lessons at the church she attended during her earlier years.<ref name="Her Own Ground 2001" /> ==Marriage and family== In 1882, at the age of 14, Sarah married Moses McWilliams to escape abuse from her brother-in-law, Jesse Powell.<ref name=BWA1209/> Sarah and Moses had one daughter, Lelia McWilliams, who was born on June 6, 1885. When Moses died in 1887, Sarah was twenty and Lelia was two.<ref name=indiana-history/><ref name=NC100Bio>{{cite web | first =A'Lelia | last =Bundles | title =Biography of Madam C. J. Walker | publisher =National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Oakland/Bay Area Chapter | date =2014 | url =http://www.onehundredblackwomen.com/madame-c-j-walker/ | access-date =February 5, 2016 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20180328133356/http://www.onehundredblackwomen.com/madame-c-j-walker/ | archive-date =March 28, 2018 | url-status =dead }}</ref> Sarah remarried in 1894, but left her second husband, John Davis, around 1903.<ref name="GS360">{{cite book | first1=Linda C. | last1=Gugin | author2=James E. St. Clair | title=Indiana's 200: The People Who Shaped the Hoosier State | publisher =Indiana Historical Society Press| year =2015 | location =Indianapolis | page =360 | isbn =978-0-87195-387-2}}</ref><ref name="PhilanthropyX">{{cite web|title=The Philanthropy Hall of Fame: Madam C. J. Walker |url=http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/hall_of_fame/madam_c._j._walker |publisher=Philanthropy Roundtable|access-date= March 1, 2015}}</ref> In January 1906, Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker, a newspaper advertising salesman she had known in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. Through this marriage, she became known as Madam C. J. Walker. The couple divorced in 1912; Charles died in 1926. Lelia McWilliams adopted her stepfather's surname and became known as [[A'Lelia Walker]].<ref name="indiana-history" /><ref name="BWA1210-11">Bundles, "Madam C J (Sarah Breedlove) Walker, 1867–1919" in ''Black Women in America'', v. II, pp. 1210–11.</ref><ref name="Riquier">{{cite web| first =Andrea |last=Riquier | title =Madam Walker Went from Laundress to Success | work=Investor's Business Daily | date =February 24, 2015| url = http://news.investors.com/management-leaders-and-success/022415-740635-madam-walker-built-hair-care-empire-rose-from-washerwoman.htm|access-date =February 8, 2016}}</ref> ==Career== [[File: Madam CJ Walker Manufacturing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana (1911).jpg|thumb|C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1911.]] In 1888, Madam C. J. Walker and her daughter moved to [[St. Louis]], where three of her brothers lived. Sarah found work as a [[laundress]], earning barely more than a dollar a day. She was determined to make enough money to provide her daughter with formal education.<ref name=bundles /><ref name=biography>{{cite web | url=https://www.biography.com/people/madam-cj-walker-9522174 | title=Madam C. J. Walker Biography | website=[[Biography.com]] | publisher=[[A&E Networks]]}}</ref> During the 1880s, she lived in a community where [[Ragtime]] music was developed; she sang at St. Paul [[African Methodist Episcopal Church]] and started to yearn for an educated life as she watched the community of women at her church.<ref name="Philanthropy" /> Sarah suffered severe [[dandruff]] and other scalp ailments, including baldness, due to skin disorders and the application of harsh products to cleanse hair and wash clothes. Other contributing factors to her hair loss included poor diet, illnesses, and infrequent bathing and hair washing during a time when most Americans lacked indoor plumbing, central heating, and electricity.<ref name="Riquier" /><ref name="Her Own Ground 2001">{{cite book | first=A'Lelia |last=Bundles| title=On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker| publisher=Scribner |location=New York|year=2001| ISBN =978-0-7434-3172-9}}</ref><ref name="Ingham">{{cite ANB |id=1001700| first=John N. |last=Ingham|title =Walker, Madam C. J. | date=February 2000 |url = http://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1001700| access-date=February 14, 2019}}</ref> [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Madame C.J. Walkers Wonderful Hair Grower.jpg|thumb|alt=A container of Madame C.J. Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower is held in the permanent collection of [[The Children's Museum of Indianapolis]].|Madam C. J. Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower in the permanent collection of [[The Children's Museum of Indianapolis]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Madam C.J. Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower product container|url=http://digitallibrary.imcpl.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/tcm/id/168|publisher=The Indianapolis Public Library|access-date= March 2, 2015}}</ref>]] Initially, Sarah learned about hair care from her brothers, who were barbers in St. Louis.<ref name="Her Own Ground 2001"/> Around the time of the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] (World's Fair at St. Louis in 1904), she became a commission agent selling products for [[Annie Malone]], an African-American hair-care entrepreneur, millionaire, and owner of the Poro Company.<ref name=BWA1209/> Sales at the exposition were a disappointment since the African-American community was largely ignored.<ref name=daughter>{{cite news | url=https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/madam-walker/ | title=The Sharecropper's Daughter Who Made Black Women Proud of Their Hair | first=Hunter | last=Oatman-Stanford | work=[[Collectors Weekly]] | date=August 31, 2015}}</ref> While working for Malone, who would later become Walker's largest rival in the hair-care industry,<ref name="Philanthropy" /> Sarah began to take her new knowledge and develop her own product line.<ref name=BWA1210-11/> In July 1905, when she was 37 years old, Sarah and her daughter moved to [[Denver]], [[Colorado]], where she continued to sell products for Malone and develop her own hair-care business. A controversy developed between Annie Malone and Sarah because Malone accused Sarah of stealing her formula, a mixture of [[petroleum jelly]] and [[sulfur]] that had been in use for a hundred years.<ref name=daughter/> Following her marriage to Charles Walker in 1906, Sarah became known as Madam C. J. Walker. She marketed herself as an independent hairdresser and retailer of cosmetic creams. ("Madam" was adopted from women pioneers of the French beauty industry.<ref name=Success />) Her husband, who was also her business partner, provided advice on advertising and promotion; Sarah sold her products door to door, teaching other black women how to groom and style their hair.<ref name=indiana-history/><ref name=BWA1210-11/> In 1906, Walker put her daughter in charge of the mail-order operation in Denver while she and her husband traveled throughout the southern and eastern United States to expand the business.<ref name="bundles">{{cite journal| first=A'Lelia | last=Bundles | title=Madam C. J. Walker: Business Savvy to Philanthropy |journal=eJournal USA | volume=16 | issue=6 | pages=3–5 | url=https://photos.state.gov/libraries/amgov/30145/publications-english/Black_Women_Leaders_eJ.pdf | publisher=[[United States Department of State]] | date=February 2012 }}</ref><ref name="Her Own Ground 2001" /><ref name="Ingham" /><ref>{{cite book | first1=Harold | last1=Evans | first2=Gail | last2=Buckland | first3=David | last3=Lefer | title=They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators | location=New York | publisher=Little, Brown | year=2004 | url=https://archive.org/details/theymadeamericaf00evan | isbn=9780316277662 }}</ref> In 1908, Walker and her husband relocated to [[Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania]], where they opened a beauty parlor and established Lelia College to train "hair culturists." As an advocate of black women's economic independence, she opened training programs in the "Walker System" for her national network of licensed sales agents who earned healthy commissions (Michaels, PhD. 2015). After Walker closed the business in Denver in 1907, A'lelia ran the day-to-day operations from Pittsburgh. In 1910, Walker established a new base in [[Indianapolis]].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Nancy F. |last1=Koehn |author2=Anne E. Dwojeski |author3=William Grundy |author4=Erica Helms |author5=Katherine Miller | title = Madam C. J. Walker: Entrepreneur, Leader, and Philanthropist | publisher =Harvard Business School Publishing | volume =9-807-145 | year =2007 | location =Boston | page =12 | oclc=154317207}}</ref> A'lelia also persuaded her mother to establish an office and beauty salon in [[New York City]]'s growing [[Harlem]] neighborhood in 1913; it became a center of African-American culture.<ref name=Success>{{cite web | first= A'Lelia | last=Bundles | title=Madam C. J. Walker's Secrets to Success | publisher=[[Biography.com]] | url =https://www.biography.com/news/madam-cj-walker-biography-facts | date=February 24, 2015}}</ref> In 1910, Walker relocated her businesses to [[Indianapolis]], where she established the headquarters for the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company. She initially purchased a house and factory at 640 North West Street.<ref name=GS361>Gugin and Saint Clair, p. 361.</ref> Walker later built a factory, hair salon, and beauty school to train her sales agents, and added a laboratory to help with research.<ref name="Ingham" /> She also assembled a staff that included [[Freeman Ransom]], [[Robert Brokenburr|Robert Lee Brokenburr]], Alice Kelly, and [[Marjorie Joyner]], among others, to assist in managing the growing company.<ref name=BWA1210-11/> Many of her company's employees, including those in key management and staff positions, were women.<ref name=Success/> [[File:MadameCJWalkerdrivingautomoblie.png|thumb|Madam Walker and several friends in her automobile, 1911.<ref>[https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/03/self-made-madam-cj-walker-company-true-story Vanity Fair, Self Made: What Happened to Madam C.J. Walker’s Hair-Care Empire?, The groundbreaking business put her in the history books. Here’s what happened next, BY YOHANA DESTA, MARCH 23, 2020]</ref>]] Walker's method of grooming was designed to promote hair growth and to condition the scalp through the use of her products.<ref name=BWA1210-11/> The system included a [[shampoo]], a [[pomade]] stated to help hair grow, strenuous brushing, and applying iron combs to hair; the method claimed to make lackluster and brittle hair become soft and luxuriant.<ref name=bundles/><ref name="Her Own Ground 2001"/> Walker's product line had several competitors. Similar products were produced in Europe and manufactured by other companies in the United States, which included her major rivals, Annie Turnbo Malone's Poro System from which she derived her original formula and later, Sarah Spencer Washington's Apex System.<ref name=Science/> Between 1911 and 1919, during the height of her career, Walker and her company employed several thousand women as sales agents for its products.<ref name=indiana-history/> By 1917, the company claimed to have trained nearly 20,000 women.<ref name=GS361/> Dressed in a characteristic uniform of white shirts and black skirts and carrying black satchels, they visited houses around the United States and in the [[Caribbean]] offering Walker's hair pomade and other products packaged in tin containers carrying her image. Walker understood the power of advertising and brand awareness. Heavy advertising, primarily in African-American newspapers and magazines, in addition to Walker's frequent travels to promote her products, helped make Walker and her products well known in the United States. In addition to training in sales and grooming, Walker showed other black women how to budget, build their own businesses, and encouraged them to become financially independent. In 1917, inspired by the model of the [[National Association of Colored Women]], Walker began organizing her sales agents into state and local clubs. The result was the establishment of the National Beauty Culturists and Benevolent Association of Madam C. J. Walker Agents (predecessor to the Madam C. J. Walker Beauty Culturists Union of America).<ref name="indiana-history" /> Its first annual conference convened in [[Philadelphia]] during the summer of 1917 with 200 attendees. The conference is believed to have been among the first national gatherings of women entrepreneurs to discuss business and commerce.<ref name="Riquier" /><ref name="bundles" /> During the convention Walker gave prizes to women who had sold the most products and brought in the most new sales agents. She also rewarded those who made the largest contributions to charities in their communities.<ref name="bundles" /> Walker's name became even more widely known by the 1920s, after her death, as her company's business market expanded beyond the United States to [[Cuba]], [[Jamaica]], [[Haiti]], [[Panama]], and [[Costa Rica]].<ref name="bundles" /><ref name="Her Own Ground 2001" /><ref name="Success" /><ref name="Science">{{cite web | title=Madame C. J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove McWilliams Walker): Inventor, Businesswoman | publisher=[[University of California, Irvine]] | url=https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/walker.html | access-date=May 22, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815195302/https://webfiles.uci.edu/mcbrown/display/walker.html | archive-date=August 15, 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref> ==Activism and philanthropy== [[File:Madam CJ Walker home 67 Broadway Irvington NY jeh.jpg|thumb|A photograph of Walker's home at 67 Broadway in Irvington, New York.]] As Walker's wealth and notoriety increased, she became more vocal about her views. In 1912, Walker addressed an annual gathering of the [[National Negro Business League]] (NNBL) from the convention floor, where she declared: "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. I have built my own factory on my own ground."<ref name=GS361/> The following year she addressed convention-goers from the podium as a keynote speaker.<ref name=bundles/><ref name="Her Own Ground 2001"/> She helped raise funds to establish a branch of [[YMCA]] in Indianapolis's black community, pledging $1,000 to the building fund for Senate Avenue YMCA. Walker also contributed scholarship funds to the [[Tuskegee University|Tuskegee Institute]]. Other beneficiaries included Indianapolis's Flanner House and [[Bethel A.M.E. Church (Indianapolis, Indiana)|Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church]]; Mary McLeod Bethune's Daytona Education and Industrial School for Negro Girls (which later became [[Bethune-Cookman University]]) in [[Daytona Beach, Florida]]; the [[Palmer Memorial Institute]] in [[North Carolina]]; and the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]. Walker was also a [[patron of the arts]].<ref name=indiana-history/><ref name=bundles/> About 1913, Walker's daughter, A'Lelia, moved to a new townhouse in [[Harlem]], and in 1916, Walker joined her in New York, leaving the day-to-day operation of her company to her management team in Indianapolis.<ref name=Bundles-website/><ref name=GS361/> In 1917, Walker commissioned [[Vertner Tandy]], the first licensed black architect in New York City and a founding member of [[Alpha Phi Alpha]] fraternity, to design her house in [[Irvington-on-Hudson, New York|Irvington-on-Hudson]], New York. Walker intended for [[Villa Lewaro]], which cost $250,000 to build, to become a gathering place for community leaders and to inspire other African Americans to pursue their dreams.<ref name=Science/><ref>Bundles, "Madam C J (Sarah Breedlove) Walker, 1867–1919" in ''Black Women in America'', v. II, p. 1213.</ref><ref name="TimesObit">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1291389/cj-walker-obit/|title=Wealthiest Negress Dead|date=May 16, 1919|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 21, 2020}}</ref> She moved into the house in May 1918 and hosted an opening event to honor [[Emmett Jay Scott]], at that time the Assistant Secretary for Negro Affairs of the [[United States War Department|U.S. Department of War]].<ref name="Her Own Ground 2001"/> Walker became more involved in political matters after her move to New York. She delivered lectures on political, economic, and social issues at conventions sponsored by powerful black institutions. Her friends and associates included [[Booker T. Washington]], [[Mary McLeod Bethune]], and [[W. E. B. Du Bois]].<ref name=indiana-history/> During [[World War I]], Walker was a leader in the Circle For Negro War Relief and advocated for the establishment of a training camp for black army officers.<ref name=GS361/> In 1917, she joined the executive committee of New York chapter of the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]] (NAACP), which organized the [[Silent Parade|Silent Protest Parade]] on New York City's [[Fifth Avenue]]. The public demonstration drew more than 8,000 African Americans to protest a riot in East Saint Louis that killed 39 African-Americans.<ref name=bundles/> Also, from 1917 until her death she was a member of the Committee of Management of the [[Harlem YWCA]], influencing development of training in beauty skills to young women by the organisation.<ref name="Weisenfeld1994">{{cite journal |last1=Weisenfeld |first1=Judith |title=The Harlem YWCA and the Secular City, 1904-1945 |journal=Journal of Women's History |date=1994 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=62 - 78 |doi=10.1353/jowh.2010.0312}}</ref>{{rp|68,69}} Profits from her business significantly impacted Walker's contributions to her political and philanthropic interests. In 1918, the [[National Association of Colored Women's Clubs]] (NACWC) honored Walker for making the largest individual contribution to help preserve [[Frederick Douglass]]'s [[Anacostia]] house.<ref>Bundles, "Madam C J (Sarah Breedlove) Walker, 1867–1919" in ''Black Women in America'', v. II, p. 1212.</ref> Before her death in 1919, Walker pledged $5,000 (the equivalent of about $77,700 in 2019) to the NAACP's anti-[[lynching]] fund. At the time, it was the largest gift from an individual that the NAACP had ever received.<ref name=bundles/> Walker bequeathed nearly $100,000 to orphanages, institutions, and individuals; her will directed two-thirds of future net profits of her estate to charity.<ref name=Philanthropy>{{cite web | title=Madam C. J. Walker | url=https://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/almanac/people/hall-of-fame/detail/madam-c.-j.-walker | website=The Philanthropy Hall of Fame | publisher=[[Philanthropy Roundtable]]}}</ref><ref name=bundles/><ref name=Success/> ==Death and legacy== [[File:Madam C. J. Walker Grave 2009.JPG|thumb|The grave of Madam C. J. Walker]] Walker died on May 25, 1919, from [[kidney failure]] and complications of [[hypertension]] at the age of 51.<ref name=indiana-history/><ref name=GS361/><ref name=TimesObit/> Walker's remains are interred in [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[the Bronx]], New York City.<ref>{{cite web | title =Woodlawn Cemetery–Madam Walker's Burial Place–Named National Historic Landmark |url=https://madamcjwalker.wordpress.com/tag/woodlawn-cemetery/|publisher=Madam C. J. Walker website}}</ref> At the time of her death, Walker was considered to be worth between a half million and a million dollars.<ref>Ingham, 1999.</ref> She was the wealthiest African-American woman in America. According to Walker's obituary in ''[[The New York Times]]'', "she said herself two years ago [in 1917] that she was not yet a millionaire, but hoped to be some time, not that she wanted the money for herself, but for the good she could do with it."<ref name=TimesObit/> The obituary also noted that same year, her $250,000 mansion was completed at the banks of the Hudson at Irvington.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1291389/cj-walker-obit/|title=CJ Walker Obit.|date=1919-05-26|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-03-22|pages=15}}</ref> Her daughter, [[A'Lelia Walker]], later became the president of the [[Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company]].<ref name="Her Own Ground 2001"/> Walker's personal papers are preserved at the [[Indiana Historical Society]] in Indianapolis.<ref name=Riquier/> Her legacy also continues through two properties listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]: Villa Lewaro in [[Irvington, New York|Irvington]], New York, and the [[Madame Walker Theatre Center]] in Indianapolis. Villa Lewaro was sold following A'Lelia Walker's death to a fraternal organization called the Companions of the Forest in America in 1932. The house was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1979. The [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] has designated the privately owned property a National Treasure.<ref>{{cite web| first=Jessica | last=Pumphrey | title =Sign the Pledge to Protect Villa Lewaro – And Learn How You Can Tour It | publisher =National Trust for Historic Preservation | url = https://savingplaces.org/stories/pledge-protect-villa-lewaro-get-tour#.VrT4TWBEg2w | date =October 24, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.preservationnation.org/assets/pdfs/saving-places/Preserving-Villa-Lewaro-National-Treasure-Madam-C-J-Walker-Estate.pdf| title =Envisioning Villa Lewaro's Future | publisher=[[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]| first=Brent | last=Leggs | date=2014}}</ref> Indianapolis's Walker Manufacturing Company headquarters building, renamed the Madame Walker Theatre Center, opened in December 1927. It included the company's offices and factory as well as a theater, beauty school, hair salon and barbershop, restaurant, drugstore, and a ballroom for the community. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.<ref name=Success/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/80000062 | title=National Register Digital Assets: Madame C. J. Walker Building | publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref> A museum in [[Atlanta]] is devoted to Walker, as well as historic radio station [[WERD (historic radio station)|WERD]]. Established in 2004, the museum is located at the site of a former Madam C. J. Walker Beauty Shoppe.<ref name="rhone">{{cite news |last1=Rhone |first1=Nedra |title=Madam C.J. Walker Museum honors legacy of local entrepreneurs |url=https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/madam-walker-museum-honors-legacy-local-entrepreneurs/bggRUZ2aqZZAzBCvcmyGcJ/ |access-date=28 June 2021 |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |date=9 December 2019}}</ref><ref name="walker-museum">{{cite web |url=https://www.madamcjwalkermuseum.com/madamcjwalker |website=Madam C. J. Walker Museum |title=Madam C.J. Walker Exhibit and Salon|access-date=28 June 2021}}</ref> In 2006, playwright and director [[Regina Taylor]] wrote The ''Dreams of Sarah Breedlove'', recounting the history of Walker's struggles and success.<ref name=":0">"Regina Taylor Brings the Story of Madam C. J. Walker to the Stage", ''[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]]'', July 10, 2006: 62–63. ProQuest, March 6, 2016.</ref> The play premiered at the [[Goodman Theatre]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.goodmantheatre.org/season/0506/the-dreams-of-sarah-breedlove/ | title=The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove | publisher=[[Goodman Theatre]]}}</ref> Actress [[L. Scott Caldwell]] played the role of Walker.<ref name=":0" /> On March 4, 2016, Sundial Brands, a skincare and haircare company, launched a collaboration with [[Sephora]] in honor of Walker's legacy. The line, titled "Madam C. J. Walker Beauty Culture," comprised four collections and focused on the use of natural ingredients to care for different types of hair.<ref>"Sundial Brands Enters Prestige Hair Category with Historic Launch of Madam C. J. Walker Beauty Culture Exclusively at Sephora." PR Newswire, February 23, 2016. ProQuest, March 6, 2016.</ref> ===TV series=== In 2020, actress [[Octavia Spencer]] committed to portray Walker in a TV series based on the biography of Walker written by Walker's great-great-granddaughter, [[A'Lelia Bundles]]. The series is called ''[[Self Made (miniseries)|Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C. J. Walker]]''.<ref name="nypost">{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2017/02/18/manse-built-by-americas-first-self-made-millionairess-in-jeopardy/|title=Manse built by America's first self-made millionairess seeks new life|first=Raquel|last=Laneri|date=February 18, 2017|publisher=[[New York Post]]}}</ref> Reviews for the series were mixed because of the inaccuracies of the storyline that created more of a fictional work than an authentic biography. The portrayal of [[Annie Malone]] as Addie Monroe, another black female self-made millionaire as a villain and the daughter of Walker as a lesbian were some of the complaints by audiences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com/the-problem-with-the-facts-about-madam-c-j-walker-and-annie-malone-and-the-netflix-series/|title=The Problem With "The Facts About Madam C.J. Walker And Annie Malone" And The Netflix Series|last=Walker|first=Robert|date=March 21, 2020|website=HarlemWorldMagazine.com|access-date=March 24, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://time.com/5805147/self-made-review-madam-cj-walker/|title=Netflix's Self Made Makes a Mess Out of Madam C.J. Walker's Extraordinary Life|last=Judy|first=Berman|date=March 18, 2020|website=Time.com|access-date=March 24, 2020}}</ref> ===Documentary=== Madam Walker is featured in [[Stanley Nelson]]'s 1987 documentary, ''Two Dollars and a Dream'', the first film treatment of Walker's life. As the grandson of Freeman B. Ransom, Madam Walker's attorney and Walker Company general manager, Nelson had access to original Walker business records and former Walker Company employees whom he interviewed during the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1988/02/21/two-dollars-and-a-dream/a3d2f2d6-1877-495f-bdd2-e0fbc4277f44/|title=Two Dollars and a Dream|date=February 21, 1988|work=washingtonpost.com|access-date=January 17, 2020}}</ref> ==Tributes== Various scholarships and awards have been named in Walker's honor: * The Madam C. J. Walker Business and Community Recognition Awards are sponsored by the [[National Coalition of 100 Black Women]], Oakland&nbsp;/ Bay Area chapter. An annual luncheon honors Walker and awards outstanding women in the community with scholarships.<ref>{{cite web|title=17th Annual Madam C. J. Walker 2015 Luncheon|url=http://www.onehundredblackwomen.com/madame-c-j-walker/17th-annual-mcjw-2015-luncheon/|publisher=National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Oakland/Bay Area Chapter|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125164457/http://www.onehundredblackwomen.com/madame-c-j-walker/17th-annual-mcjw-2015-luncheon/|archive-date=January 25, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> * Spirit Awards have sponsored the Madame Walker Theatre Center in Indianapolis. Established as a tribute to Walker, the annual award has honored national leaders in entrepreneurship, philanthropy, civic engagement, and the arts since 2006. Awards presented to individuals include the Madame C. J. Walker Heritage Award as well as young entrepreneur and legacy prizes.<ref name=awards>{{cite web | title=About the Spirit Awards | url=http://www.thewalkertheatre.org/spirit-awards/nomination-form | publisher=Madame Walker Theatre Center | year=2016 | access-date=February 4, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220010345/http://www.thewalkertheatre.org/spirit-awards/nomination-form | archive-date=February 20, 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Walker was inducted into the [[National Women's Hall of Fame]] in [[Seneca Falls, New York|Seneca Falls]], New York, in 1993.<ref>{{cite web| title =Madam C. J. Walker | publisher =National Women's Hall of Fame | url = https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/madam-c-j-walker/| access-date =February 10, 2016}}</ref> In 1998, the [[United States Postal Service|U.S. Postal Service]] issued a Madam Walker commemorative stamp as part of its Black Heritage Series.<ref name=GS361/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=76b046e9928ba079d703ec17fae2813be2625b64&Madam_CJ_Walker&st=madame+walker&ss=&t=&s=4&syear=&eyear=|title=US Stamp Gallery >> Madam C.J. Walker|website=www.usstampgallery.com}}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Further reading== ===Adult nonfiction=== *{{cite book|author=Bundles, A'Lelia Perry|title=Madam Walker Theatre Center: An Indianapolis Treasure|publisher=Arcadia Publishing|year=2013|isbn=978-1-4671-1087-7|series=Images of America|location=Charleston, SC|author-link=A'Lelia Bundles}} *{{cite book|editor1-last=Sullivan|editor1-first=Otha Richard|editor2-last=Haskins|editor2-first=James|editor2-link=James Haskins|title=African American Women Scientists and Inventors|date=2002|publisher=Jossey-Bass|location=San Francisco|isbn=9780471387077|pages=[https://archive.org/details/africanamericanw00sull/page/25 25–30]|chapter=Madam C.J. Walker (1867–1919)|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/africanamericanw00sull/page/25}} === Juvenile nonfiction === * Bundles, A'Lelia (2018). ''All About Madam C.J. [https://www.worldcat.org/title/all-about-madam-cj-walker/oclc/1017967685?referer=di&ht=edition Walker]''. Indianapolis, Indiana: Blue River Press. {{ISBN|9781681570938}} * {{cite book| author=Bundles, A'Lelia Perry|title=Madam C. J. Walker: Entrepreneur |publisher=Chelsea House| series =Black Americans of Achievement | edition =Legacy |year=2008| location =New York | isbn=978-1-60413-072-0}} * {{cite book | author =Colman, Penny | title =Madam C. J. Walker: Building a Business Empire | publisher =The Millbrook Press | series =Gateway Biography | year =1994 | location =Brookfield, CT | url =https://archive.org/details/madamcjwalkerbui00colm | isbn =9781562943387 | author-link =Penny Colman }} ===Adult fiction=== * {{cite book |author=Due, Tananarive |title=The Black Rose: The Dramatic Story of Madam C. J. Walker, America's First Black Female Millionaire |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-345-44156-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/blackrose00tana |author-link=Tananarive Due }} ==External links== {{Commons category}} * {{Official website|https://madamcjwalker.com/}} * {{YouTube|AuYjx7zDBas|Madam C J Walker – Successful Business Woman}} * {{YouTube|Kk-17lfCeGs|Stanley Nelson Interviews Madam C. J. Walker's Great Grand Daughter}} (Walker's political activism and philanthropy) * [http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/CJ ''On Her Own Ground: Madame C. J. Walker'']. [[C-SPAN]]. January 27, 2001. (Book discussion) * {{YouTube|p3qjlLYszEI|Madam Walker Research in the National Archives}} * {{YouTube|-O4BGrMcD4o|The Legacy of Madam Walker}} (Part 1) * {{YouTube|2lXl8XKfZ-8|Madam C J Walker}} (Indiana Bicentennial Minute, 2016) * {{YouTube|n4knvT_-IO8|Madam C J Walker Estate}} (Part 1 of 5) Villa Lewaro, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York * Michals, Debra. [https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/madam-cj-walker "Madam C. J. Walker"]. National Women's History Museum. 2015. {{Portal bar|Biography|Business|History|Indiana|New York (state)}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Madam C. J.}} [[Category:Madam C. J. Walker| ]] [[Category:1867 births]] [[Category:1919 deaths]] [[Category:African-American company founders]] [[Category:African-American history of Colorado]] [[Category:American women company founders]] [[Category:African-American women in business]] [[Category:Beauticians]] [[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Louisiana]] [[Category:Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York (state)]] [[Category:Deaths from hypertension]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Denver]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Indianapolis]] [[Category:People from Irvington, New York]] [[Category:People from Madison Parish, Louisiana]] [[Category:Businesspeople from St. Louis]] [[Category:Philanthropists from New York (state)]] [[Category:Deaths from kidney failure]]'