Salute To Excellence | Digital Program Booklet 2025-26 - Journal - Page 13
Biography of Madam C. J. Walker
Born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 on a Delta, Louisiana plantation, this daughter
of former slaves transformed herself from an uneducated farm laborer and laundress into
one of the twentieth century’s most successful, self-made women entrepreneur.
MADAM C. J. WALKER
During the 1890s, Sarah began to suffer from a scalp ailment that caused her to lose most of
her hair. She experimented with many homemade remedies and store-bought products,
including those made by Annie Malone, another black woman entrepreneur. In 1905 Sarah
moved to Denver as a sales agent for Malone, then married her third husband, Charles
Joseph Walker, a St. Louis newspaperman. After changing her name to
