Americans have always celebrated the self-made man or woman. No country in history has offered more people of limited or no resources the range of opportunity found in the US.
Sadly, some have faced more obstacles than others, especially those of African American descent and it would hard to imagine any person more disadvantaged than an African American woman, daughter of slaves, growing in up Reconstruction era Louisiana. Perhaps the most shining example of such a woman is Madam C.J. Walker who saw a need, invented a hair product for the needs of African American women (a truly underserved market) and then created a nationwide distribution system of 40,000 agents.
All this was done between the age of 40 and her death at age 54 in 1919.
The world would not see another minority woman as “self-made” as Madam Walker until the appearance of Oprah Winfrey 75 years later. Her story should be read by every young person who needs a little perspective as to how much opportunity they are surrounded by…and what it takes to realize it.
Spend a few minutes learning about “Madame C.J. Walker: The Ultimate Self Made Woman.”
