Madam CJ Walker: the true story of the first woman to become a millionaire

Two dollars and a dream, this is how the story of Sarah Breedlove, better known as Madam CJ Walker, began.

And the Netflix series A Self-Made Woman has raised many doubts about the African-American woman who became the world’s first millionaire.

Therefore, in this text we will tell you the true story of Madam CJ Walker, what happened to her daughter and many other things that will make you see the series in a completely different way.

Who was Madam CJ Walker?

As seen in the series, Sarah Breedlove was born in Louisiana in 1867 and was the daughter of Owen and Minerva, two former slaves who lived near the plantation where they worked.

She was the last of five children, and the first to be born free. However, Sarah was orphaned at the age of 7 and at 14 she married Moses McWilliams for the first time.

From that union emerged their only daughter, A’Lelia Walker. Six years later, she was widowed and to support her family, Sarah began working as a laundress, a job she held for 21 years.

“As I was bending over one morning to wash, I saw my arms covered in foam and I said to myself, ‘What are you going to do when you get old?'” he confessed in an interview with the New York Times.

“Who is going to take care of your little daughter?”

The hair grower and the rivalry with Annie Turnbo Malone

The answer came to her in 1904, when she began her career as a saleswoman for Annie Turnbo Malone (Addie Munroe in the series).

At that time Annie offered a product called “The Wonderful Hair Grower”, which was a success among the African-American community at the time.

Sarah Breedlove herself had benefited from hair growth, as she had lost her hair due to lice and dirt resulting from the lack of drinking water.

It wasn’t long before she developed her own formula, which she says came to her in a dream.

By then, Sarah had remarried a salesman named Charles Joseph Walker and adopted his surname.

Thus, when she began marketing her product door-to-door, she did so under the name “Madam CJWalker’s wonderful hair grower.”

Within a few months, Madam Walker had a mail-order service, then began training her team of salespeople to help other women generate their own income.

The dream continued to grow and in 1910, Sarah Walker opened her first factory in Indianapolis, advertised her brand in national newspapers, and built beauty schools for black women.

The activism of Madam CJ Walker

As their fortune grew, both Sarah and her daughter became more involved in philanthropy and activism for racial equality.

So much so that he donated 5 thousand dollars (a fortune in his time) to an organization that sought to end the lynchings of people of color.

Likewise, in 1917, she along with other African American leaders and businessmen went to the White House to demand President Woodrow Wilson’s support in the fight for civil rights.

However, the president refused to receive them and lynching would not be classified as a crime until 2020.

How did Madam CJ Walker die?

As seen in the series, CJ was unfaithful to Sarah, so she divorced him and shortly after married for the third time.

However, her third husband also cheated on her, so Sarah also separated from him.

By then, Sarah was already suffering from hypertension, as well as severe kidney failure, which would be the cause of her death.

After his death, his daughter A’Leila took over the reins of the company. She took it upon herself to continue her mother’s legacy as a businesswoman and patron of the arts.

The series about the life of Madam CJ Walker is based on the biography On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker written by her great-granddaughter, A’Leila Bundles.

So if you’re looking for something to binge-watch, “Madam CJ Walker: A Self-Made Woman” is now available on Netflix.