C J Walker. Born in a log cabin, first free woman in her family, orphaned by age 7 from a family of recently freed slaves that were sharecroppers on a cotton plantation. She made a company that sold hair care stuff to women. Died rich, stated that her company would only ever be run by women, and left a lot of money to charities and her kids, having earned millions. She was the first female self-made millionaire in America.
Magnificent. how did it take me so long to find this?
ReplyDeleteI have several others, and I expect it took so long because no one expects a car guy to respect others, and celebrate them, and feature black history among hot rods and race cars. Would you like to see a couple others I posted that are even more incredible?
DeleteMme. Walker had only child, a daughter. Her daughter never married, but adopted a child who was a distant relative. Th child's daughter wrote the book "On Her Own Terms." It is worth the read not only for how Mme. Walker succeeded but also for her tribulations, such as being unable to stay in a hotel when she traveled. I have seen her last home ever since I was a child. It is on the banks of The Hudson River in Irvington, NY. It is a magnificent building. She lived in it from 1917 until her death in 1919, which was from end stage renal disease. Still not easily treatable today, it was certain death in those times. Postmortem, her daughter was active in The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's. Mme. Walker was so wealthy that in 1912 she bought a Cole Automobile, which was as costly as a Cadillac, a seven-passenger model.
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