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Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social activist, Madam C. J. Walker (1867–1919) created a haircare empire, including a product line, training schools, and salons, which made her one of the wealthiest African Americans of her time. During her career, Walker traveled tirelessly around the United States, Central America, and the Caribbean, delivering lectures, conducting demonstrations, and recruiting and training thousands of agents to sell and administer her products. She contacted local churches, rooming houses, and fraternal organizations, establishing contacts everywhere she went. In 1916, Walker began organizing her agents into state and local chapters. She hosted the first national convention of Walker “beauty culturalists” in 1917, awarding agents who sold the most products and chapters that raised money for charitable and social causes. Learn more about Madam C. J. Walker in our photography exhibition, "In the Driver's Seat: The Rise of Madam C. J. Walker," which is on view post-security in Terminal 3 and online at: https://www.sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/madam-c-j-walker
This image was posted on August 05, 2021.