I started out Black History month acknowledging accomplished award-winning writer Maya Angelou. Now I turn my attention to the world of business and will focus on the outstanding Madam C.J Walker. 

Madam C.J. Walker was the first American woman to become a millionaire. She used her passion for hair care to build her empire and give black Americans options on how to take care of their natural hair other than their usually non effective home remedies. Walker took a look at the black women in her community and saw the struggle these women were experiencing trying to keep up with the uptake of dealing with natural hair. She is particularly special to me because she was the first person to acknowledge the struggle to find products that cater to black hair that were made by black people so they could express themselves through their hair, and grow to love it. 

Growing up, I always had a love-hate relationship with my hair, the main reason being that I didn’t think my natural hair was beautiful. I always thought it would be easier to straighten my hair because that was the beauty standard and I didn’t want to stand out, nor did I appreciate the beauty that black women’s hair holds. It took a long time for me to find the right products and start my natural hair journey and grow to absolutely love my hair. It’s people like Madam C.J. Walker who made that possible for me and millions of other little black girls around the world. 

Walker first started her hair business to assist black women with scalp disorders, which she herself suffered from, causing her to lose a lot of her own hair. This led to the creation of “The Walker System”. She used her success to give back to her community, and offer black women jobs as “beauty culturalists”. Along with becoming a self made millionaire, she was also a philanthropist; she used her fortune to start many scholarships for women at the Tuskegee  Institute and donated large parts of her wealth to the NAACP, the Black YMCA and other charities.