Black Inventors Part 4

Before Oprah became one of the first African American billionaires, Madam C.J. Walker turned a “dream” into a million dollar business venture.  Sarah Breedlove aka Madam C.J. Walker was born in Louisiana in 1867.  After being widowed in 1887 as a result of a mob lynching, Madam C.J. Walker and her daughter moved to Missouri.  While in Missouri the stress of working multiple jobs to make a loving was taking its toll on Madam Walker, in particular she was experiencing hair loss at an alarming rate.  According to legend, one night Sarah had the following vision” “big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. Some of the remedy was grown in Africa, but I sent for it, put it on my scalp, and in a few weeks my hair was coming in faster than it had ever fallen out.”  After trying out the homemade brew on herself and then her friends, Madam Walker decided to quit her jobs and start her own business.

In 1906 she married C.J. Walker and between his marketing skills and Madam Walker’s hair products a new business, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company; was formed to mass produce these products.  Word spread throughout the black community like wildfire and by 1917 Madam Walker had the largest African-American business in the US.  Her accomplishments are numerous as she saw her wealth not as a means to an end, but instead as a way to provide for other African Americans and in particular a way to promote fellow female African American entrepreneurs.

Quick facts:

• Guinness Book of World Records listed her as the 1st Female Millionaire whose money was earned by her own achievements.
• Opened her own college to train sales workforce
  • Sales force was in excess of 1000 agents
  • Sales force earned on average $5 to $15 dollars/day
• 2/3 of her fortune went to philanthropy upon her death
• In 1992 she was enshrined into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame
• Commemorated with a USPS stamp in 1998 as part of the Black Heritage Series
• Built an estate (Villa Lewaro) next to fellow giants of the time including John Rockefeller and Jay Gould.
  • Gave the task of designing Villa Lewaro to Vertner Tandy whom was the 1^st registered African American Architect of New York.

Sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madam_C._J._Walker & http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/cj-walker.html

Black Inventors Part 3

As the Saints celebrate their Superbowl victory today in New Orleans I thought it appropriate to highlight George Crum.  Some may ask, who dat?  Well, George Crum is credited with the invention of the potato chips.  I’m sure if you were at a Superbowl party like me, there were bowls of chip and dip.

The story goes that George Crum was the head chief at Moon’s Lake House Resort in NY and a hard to please customer constantly complained that Mr. Crum cut his french fries to think.  Well, the time this patron came in, Mr. Crum purposely cut the french fries to thin and we he served them the patrons commented on the crispness of the resulting french fries.  The popularity of the new french fired potato chips ultimately allowed Mr. Crum to quit his job and open his own restaurant.  Thank goodness for rude customers!

Sources:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Crum & http://www.blackinventor.com/pages/george-crum.html