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They were the parents of at least 2 sons. OprahMag.com spoke to Blair Underwood, who plays her husband, Charles "C.J." Joseph Walker. The Black-led beauty company Sundial Brands acquired Madam C.J. Born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867 in the vicinity of Delta, Louisiana, she was one of Owen and Minerva Breedlove's six children and the first to be born into freedom after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. It's with McWilliams that she had her only child, A'Lelia Walker. Multiple sources mention that although other women (like Mary Ellen Pleasant) might have been the first, their wealth is . But the businesswoman was just as known for giving back to the African American community as she was for her game-changing hair products. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. -OprahMag.com. Walker Manufacturing Company closed its doors in July 1981. What training programs should I build in-house and in-community to grow diverse talent? If I can establish who this man was in this case who they were together, the fact that he did love her, that's much more interesting than saying 'He cheated on her. A little context and review: . Walker Lives on at Villa Lewaro, What "Self-Made" Got Wrong About Madam C.J. "The decision to label her a millionaire in the Netflix series likely stems in part from the fact that she was eulogized as America's first female self-made millionaire. Walker and changed her name. After marrying her third husband, Charles Joseph Walker, she adopted the name "Madam C.J. April 8, 2014. 1. Yes. 1867 - 1919. With her firsthand knowledge of the many barriers in the way of African Americans economic mobility, Walker was well positioned to implement practices to overcome those barriers. After Booker T. Washington, the founder and head of the National Negro Business League (NNBL), snubbed her efforts to meet him and gain his endorsement, she took the stage beside him at a Chicago NNBL meeting, unbeckoned, and touted her company and its ideals to applause. In 1908, after two years of training Walker agents and beauty culturists throughout the southern and eastern United States, Walker and her husband settled in Pittsburgh, where she opened the Lelia College of Beauty Culture, a school named for her daughter. "I said she's a really great actress, but she doesn't look anything like Madam Walker," Bundles tells Oprah Daily. She employed a plethora of women, training them as sales representatives and hairstylists. Madam C. J. Walker was an African American businesswoman who made her fortune through a cosmetics and hair care business marketed at black women. 1867 - Walker, then Sarah Breedlove, was born in Delta, Louisiana. Together, Walker and her agents lobbied for legal advances by sending a resolution to President Woodrow Wilson demanding legislative action against lynching and aligning with the NAACPs anti-lynching efforts to push for new laws. Breedlove's second husband, Charles Joseph Walker, is the man who gave her her famous moniker and title, according to Biography. I grow hair." Walker. Walker asked: Walkers beauty schools, courses, and partnerships with Black colleges became a way to both deliver education and build the global talent market for beauty care. also wrote in a public apology letter that Larrie was "the cause of all my sorrow.". A year later, Walker moved to Denver, Colorado, where she married ad-man Charles Joseph Walker, renamed herself "Madam C.J. Madam C.J. ", Bundles explains that in the end, A'Lelia decided to leave Wilson for Kennedy and follow her mother's wishes. This content is imported from twitter. It's with McWilliams that she had her only child, A'Lelia Walker. It's here that she met her second husband, John Davis. Her mother died in 1872 when Sarah was just four years old, most likely from cholera. Just as important, I'd appreciated it when he reached out to me by phone a few weeks earlier for extra insight into C.J. American industrialist and philanthropist, American businesswoman and philanthropist. Below, we dig into the details of Walker's layered history, in addition to the facts that the show got wrong and right. The home is currently owned by the New Voices Foundation, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Walker's legacy is brought to life on Netflix Four Indianapolis residents you'll meet in "Self Made" series Check out these . The former pair also welcomed a child i.e. Walker," and with $1.25, launched her own line of hair products and straighteners for African American women, "Madam Walker's Wonderful Hair Grower." So a year later, the budding entrepreneur moved to Denver. For Advertisement, PR, Sponsorships, or any Query, you can contact us through this Email:-[emailprotected], Self Made: Inspired by the life of Madam C. J. Walker, Tommy Unold Height, Weight, Age, Girlfriend, Biography, Family & More, Jorgelina Cardoso Wiki, Age (ngel Di Maras Wife) Biography, Family & Facts, Kayla Hanson Wiki, Age, Family, Kids, Net Worth & Facts About Damian Lillards Wife, Elena Moussa (Greg Gutfelds Wife) Wiki, Bio, Children, Net Worth, Career, Age & More, Seema Sisodia Wiki, Biography, Children, Family, Age, Net Worth & Facts About Manish Sisodias Wife, Who is Irina Dreyt? At the time of her death, her estate was valued between $600,000 and $700,000, which is the equivalent of $8.9 million to $10.4 million today, according to Bundles. In 1906, still working for Malone, Walker moved to Denver, married Charles Joseph Walker and launched her own line of cosmetic products, some slightly tweaked from Malone's products, as Mrs. C.J . Walker was born Sarah Breedlove to former slaves, Owen and Minerva Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana on December 23, 1867. Walker died of kidney failure and complications due to hypertension on May 25, 1919. She spent years as a struggling washerwoman but later achieved fame and fortune by creating a hair care line for Black women. When Charles Joseph Walker was born on 28 June 1923, in Fort Benton, Idaho, United States, his father, Louis Arthur Walker, was 35 and his mother, Irene Elizabeth Gorman, was 32. Sundials business practices in 2015 earned it B-Corporation certification, making Sundial and the Walker brand part of a business community working to reduce inequality and poverty and build stronger communities. Still, not only did she live like a millionaire, it's worth noting that in terms of today's dollars, $600,000 is about $9 million. She could spend and save her profits. Our editors handpick the products that we feature. She started by selling her treatment door to door when she was living in Denver, Colorado. She moved to Denver in 1905, where she briefly worked as a sales agent for Annie Turnbo Malone, a successful St. Louis-based hair care pioneer, and married Charles Joseph Walker, a newspaper ad . Madam C.J. began assisting with the advertising of her products when she introduced her first salve, Madam Walkers Wonderful Hair Grower. However, beginning in March 2016, her name began appearing on a new line launched by Sundial Brands, Madam C.J. Before the show was optioned to Netflix, Bundles explains the possibility was posed to her years ago by a director who was interested in collaborating on the project. 1916 - Walker moved her residence to New York, officially settling down in "Villa Lewaro" in 1918. I won't play roles like that. Walkers history, casting Blair Underwood as her husband was a spoiler. They had met while Sarah was working as a laundress in St. Louis, washing clothes in the homes of wealthy Whites and earning very little money. Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker in January 1906. She is currently based in Pennsylvania and loves all things antiques, cilantro, and American history. However, they weren't experts on women's hair and scalp diseases, so she also tried out home remedies. She gave to organizations focused on the social well-being of Black Americanslike the St. Louis Colored Orphans' Home and the YMCAand donated money to the NAACP to stop lynching across the U.S. Walker additionally used her philanthropy to employ and educate people of color through her business. USA. Annie Malone indeed accused her former employee of stealing her formula. Omissions? Walker offered a convenient correspondence course to train and certify agents whose numbers reportedly grew to about 20,000 by 1919 and she also had schools in Indiana, St. Louis, Dallas, Chicago, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Harlem. Walker, a sales agent for a St. Louis African American newspaper, became a special friend of hers during this time. She established a factory in Indianapolis, a beauty school, and a salon. A tin for Madame C.J. After the couple divorced in 1910, that's when Sarah relocated to Indianapolis and built a factory for her Walker Manufacturing Company, per the museum. This adjustment for inflation is the reason some have placed her net worth as high as $10 million. It's true that the real Madam C.J. Shortly after getting married, Sarah adopted the moniker Madam C.J. Madam C.J. But after bouncing to several producers, directors, and studios like Columbia TriStar and HBO, the project always hit a road block. Soon after the new year, on. Walker, Self Made Got Rightand WrongAbout Madam C.J. We always welcome your valuable feedback to improve Wiki Celebs Site. Self Made depicts Madam C.J. Soon thereafter, she broke ties with Pope-Turnbo and started . The Crisis, August 1919 . Walker. Walkers childhood like? '", Underwood, who's been married to his wife Desiree DaCosta for 26 years, cites Bundles's book, which shows that C.J. In 1906, she married Charles Joseph Walker and began to call herself Madam C. J. Walker, a name she held onto after the marriage had ended. An agent could purchase Walker products wholesale, sell them at retail, and own and grow her own book of business. She reduced or eliminated a training fee of $25 when needed. The New York Timeshad confirmed this in her obituary, stating, "she said herself two years ago [in 1917] that she was not yet a millionaire, but hoped to be some time. . being the husband of Madam C. J. Walker (American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political & social activist). was an alcoholic who cheated on Walker, but Underwood says there's more to him than the show explores. .css-26w0xw{display:block;font-family:NationalBold,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-26w0xw:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-26w0xw{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.575rem;line-height:1.1;margin-bottom:-0.5rem;}}Chase Stokes And Kelsea Ballerini: Dating Timeline, Chase Stokes And Kelsea Ballerinis Birth Charts, Shakira And Piqus Body Language, Explained, Joey Sasso And Kariselle Snows Birth Charts. In 1908, the couple relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1905, Walker moved to Denver, Colorado, where she met and married ad-man Charles Joseph "C.J." Walker. Sarah Breedlove met Annie Malone (pictured below) at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. In a virtuous cycle, when social enterprise educates and lifts up workers as mutual players in a companys success, it fosters skill and will for workers to lower their own barriers to opportunity. The story isn't perfect as it faces criticism for a weak script, fact versus fiction storylines, and the way it heavily dramatizes conflict between two successful Black women on the basis of colorism. Mary Bellis. After marrying him, she took his last name and adopted the nickname Madam C.J. Madam C.J. We may earn commission from the links on this page. She also was not a light-skinned Black woman, even though much of her and Walker's feud in the show was based upon their differing skin tonesa storyline that many felt was unnecessary. Bundles hopes that the new show will inspire viewers to seek facts about Walker's life. Many families lived without indoor plumbing, so regular shampooing wasn't possible and problems like lice and pollutants went untreated. Yes. After a short second marriage, Sarah married Charles Joseph Walker in 1906. She built an international beauty business that had 25,000 active sales agents by 1919. Walker was living in Saint Louis when she began trying to solve her hair loss issues. Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919) was "the first Black woman millionaire in America" and made her fortune thanks to her homemade line of hair care products for . Walker (ne Sarah Breedlove), we not only learn about . The couple had one child, a daughter named Lelia, born on June 6, 1885. What was Madam C.J. Walker," and with just $1. Her last husband, Charles Joseph Walker, was an advertising salesman for newspapers. He used to provide advice on advertising and promotion. She's buried at The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. Earlier, in 1882, Madam C. J. Walker married her first partner Moses McWilliams at the age of 14. Madam C.J. He even encouraged Sarah to sell her haircare treatment to the public. ), began selling hair-care products door-to-door in Denver, Colorado, laying the foundation for a business that would serve the cause of . Updates? With her husband's advertising expertise and a $1.25 investment, she launched . Sarah was twenty at the time and Lelia two. Charles Joseph Walker (born in 1851 died July 29, 1926) was an American Newspaper Advertising Salesman from Tennessee. Walker provided scholarships for students at several black colleges and boarding schools and supported orphanages and retirement homes. The firm came to existence back in 1910 in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. was an adman and salesman. This info from contributor Jeannette Rook Two days before Christmas, Sarah celebrated her thirty-eight birthday with C.J. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. After her marriage, she renamed herself Madam C.J. 1887 - She moved to St. Louis and worked as a washerwoman. Not likely. What we do know for sure is that A'Lelia was supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. "When a man, especially then, feels less than he should about himself, and he has a low self image, it's hard for him to be seen in her shadow," he says. Products she could buy were another resource for Walker, though at the time few items were tailored to the curls and texture of Black women's hair. Charles Joseph Walker Sr.Charles "Charlie" Joseph Walker Sr., 86, passed away Friday, June 18, 2010 in Mt. Walker joined her there a . On a day off you'll find her curled up with a new juicy romance novel. Walker." The name was intended to give her business distinction with "Madam" lending a hint of French refinement. Walker, ne Sarah Breedlove, (born December 23, 1867, near Delta, Louisiana, U.S.died May 25, 1919, Irvington, New York), American businesswoman and philanthropist who was one of the first African American female millionaires in the United States. (Walker and Charles divorced in 1912; Charles died in 1926. Sarah changed her name to "Madam C.J. They separated, and in 1905 she moved to Denver and soon after married ad-man Charles Joseph. Charles is portrayed by Blair Underwood in the Netflix limited series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. C.J. Madam further got involved in many charities and social activities. As per the source, the couple first met each other in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. C.J. Walker, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. As Walker biographer Tyrone McKinley Freeman wrote for The National Interest, save for the series' closing credits, "her philanthropic legacy didnt make the cut." By leveraging her beauty and hair care . She later became president of her mother's company in 1919, a position she held until her death in 1931. In April 1906, after her new husband Charles Joseph Walker joined her in Denver, Sarah Breedlove changed her name to Madam C. J. Walker and placed her first Walker advertisement in the Denver Statesman to promote her own product line. She also met her third husband, Charles Joseph Walker. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867-May 25, 1919) was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and social activist who revolutionized the hair care and cosmetics industry for African American women in the early 20th century. in "Self Made", What "Self Made" Got Wrong About Madam CJ Walker, See the Self Made Cast Transformed Into Character, "Self Made" Is Also About Annie Turnbo Malone, life of millionaire hair care maven Madam C.J. Lelia McWilliams adopted her stepfather's surname and became known as A'Lelia Walker. Second, Walker had firsthand knowledge of all the race, gender, and economic barriers in agents way and put in place intentional practices to overcome them. When Blair Underwood hears about an audition for a bad husband. Walker) helped to . She spoke out against lynching at the Negro Silent Protest Parade and during a visit to theWhite Housein 1917, and she advocated for the rights of African American soldiers who served in World War I. Madam C.J. And she gave Black women more control over their financial futures by providing far fairer wages than they could earn through menial labor, offering 42% retail margins to agents who bought from her factory. Indeed, Walker modeled self-empowerment in her fight for equity. This content is imported from poll. Walkers Gospel of Giving: Black Womens Philanthropy During Jim Crow. They had met while Sarah was working as a laundress in St. Louis, washing clothes in the homes of wealthy Whites and earning very little money. Walker once explained the formula of her hair grower came to her in a dream: "God answered my prayer, for one night I had a dream, and in that dream a big Black man appeared to me and told me what to mix up for my hair. Walker. . The series is certain about A'Lelia's sexuality, but the real-life details of her dating history are mostly unknown. In addition, she drew on her experience as a washerwoman and what she had learned about the properties of cleaners like lye soap. Drawn to the prosperous Black business community in Indianapolis, she relocated the headquarters of the Madam C.J. The entrepreneurs second marriage was with John Davis whom she wedded after the death of Moses. She ended up becoming a commission agent for Malone, selling Malone's Wonderful Hair Grower, in addition to other products that were part of the Poro Company, owned by Malone. pic.twitter.com/c6Yb0HSG6J, Without even knowing Madame C.J. C.J. "I don't play roles like that. Madam CJ Walker Facts 2: the former slave daughter. He is well-identified as a third spouse of Madam C. J. Walker (American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political & social activist). Compared to her own name, this appeared more impressive and unforgettable. In addition to being a prominent Columbia University-educated lawyer and leader in the African American community during the late 1800s and early 1900s, he was also the lawyer and business manager for Walker and oversaw her personal legal matters. According to her great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles' book, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. While the mini-series solely focuses on her marriage to C.J., Walker was married twice before him. Played by Blair Underwood opposite Octavia Spencer's Walker, C.J. Walker, then still known as Sarah Breedlove, suffered from severe dandruff and baldness. As A'Lelia Bundles, Walker's great-great-granddaughter and biographer, noted: "If you look at medical journals, this mixture of petrolatum and sulfur had been around for a hundred years. neither of these women really created this recipe.". The couple got married a few months later when Breedlove was in . Joseph Jenkins, 34, Union Correctional Institution, escape, principle to escape, 2 counts conspiracy to commit escape, 6 counts forgery, 6 counts uttering a forgery. What needs to change structurally in capital flows and asset ownership to give entrepreneurs of color equal opportunity. They got married, and she began running . Charles Joseph Walker died in St. Louis in 1926. A widow at 20 with a young daughter, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where her elder brothers were barbers. Wikicelebs.com is the best site to read about Celebrities, Actors, Actresses, Models, and Other Famous People from All over the World. Located in Irvington, New York, Walker's estate is called "Villa Lewaro" and is still standing today after being designated a National Historical Landmark in 1976. Among her shrewd real estate investments were her Harlem townhouse (the site of her New York beauty school as well as the Dark Tower, a cultural salon hosted by her daughter, ALelia Walker, during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s) and Villa Lewaro, her Irvington, New York, mansion, which is now a national historic landmark and a National Trust for Historic Preservation national treasure. She worked as a poorly paid washerwoman for more than a decade and joined St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she sang in the choir and was mentored by teachers and members of the National Association of Colored Women. Walker Agents, Inc.), which served to legitimize beauty culture as a profession, strengthen relationships between agents, and enlist them in doing charity and advocacy work in their communities. With only $1.25 to her name, Walker broke free from Malone's company . Corrections? Turnbo was a Black woman who'd arrived in Saint Louis ahead of the 1904 World's Fair, where she would promote her hair care products and methods. What laws and norms fly in the face of economic mobility and racial justice for the people the company hires and the customers it serves? By. The Guinness Book of Records also cites her as the first woman to become a millionaire by way of her own achievements, a valuation that seems to be technically incorrect. The mini-series is mainly based in St. Louis and New York City, but Bundles and Brittanica.com explain Walker's timeline as follows: As depicted in Self Made, Freeman "F.B" Briley Ransom was a dedicated employee of Walker. . Walker Manufacturing Company, during the turn-of-the-twentieth century Jim Crow era, in Indianapolis, and used it to lift up Black women amid a system of sexism and racial discrimination. She married her first husband, Moses McWilliams, when she was just 14 years old in order to escape an abusive brother-in-law. .css-ssumvd{display:block;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.0625rem;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.25;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-ssumvd:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-ssumvd{letter-spacing:0rem;margin-top:0.9375rem;}}Gayle King Interviews Angela Bassett, Gayle Says March Is a Good Month for TV Lovers, Sheryl Lee Ralphs Definition of True Love, What We Know About The Little Mermaid Remake, Oprah Congratulates Kimmel on 20 Years of His Show, Nikole Hannah-Jones on "The 1619 Project", Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Wakanda Forever Podcast, Oprah Is Acting in Tyler Perrys Next Netflix Film. Walkers Wonderful Hair Grower, How Madam C.J. However, Charles and Breedlove got officially separated and took divorce in 1912. It was in Denver that she married her third husband, newspaper sales agent Charles Joseph Walker. described his life as "hell" and said he'd discovered Larrie "did not love me, but that she only wanted the title Mme. It was the result of a combination of factors, including illness, infrequent washing, scalp disease, high fever, low-protein diets and damaging hair treatments (including the use of lye that was found in soap at the time and was also used to clean clothes). McKenzie Jean-Philippe is the editorial assistant at OprahMag.com covering pop culture, TV, movies, celebrity, and lifestyle. As Queen and Slim actress Jodie Turner-Smith pointed out on Twitter, one of the main criticisms of Self Made was the rivalry that existed between Walker and a character named "Addie," who was based upon the real-life Annie Turnbo Malone, also a millionaire. It also benefitted him in that it connected his name to her products. She is a member of the advisory boards of the Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Charles Joseph supported his wife's entrepreneurial endeavors. After McWilliams died, Bundles reports on her site that Walker moved with her daughter to St. Louis, where her brothers were barbers. The marriage ended in 1887 when Moses died. A truly supportive culture includes empathy something Walker offered to multiple agents who struggled, including one who lost all of her personal possessions to a fire. In fact, it is based on the biography of Walker called On Her Own Ground by ALelia Bundles. The movement continued for decades after Walkers death, in 1919. As Walker's great-great-great granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles writes in the biography On Her Own Ground, C.J. The first lesson for socially minded entrepreneurs lies in the way Walker, a child of Louisiana sharecroppers, built her company (incorporated in 1911) not with elite capital but by opening up commerce and careers to tens of thousands of Black, working-class women sales agents. Walker's Wonderful Hair Growera hair product that promised to give Black hair a "beautiful silky sheen." . Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. These practices offer valuable lessons for leaders today. What high-quality institutional partners will be accessible and welcoming to diverse talent? A third element of building racial equity is funding and promoting educational opportunities for employees (a frequently underused company perk). Walker," although the pair would later divorce. Annie, who is renamed Addie Munroe in the series, gave her tips on how to get rid of her bald spots, telling her to wash her hair regularly and use a sulfur-based scalp treatment. C.J. Malone was a pioneer in the African American haircare industry and her successes were extremely underscored in the series. Although Madam Walker is often said to have invented the "hot comb," it is more likely that she adapted metal implements popularized by the French to suit black women's hair. Our editors handpick the products that we feature. She developed her products while struggling to make ends meet as a washerwoman and through other odd jobs. Use native intelligence: Channel firsthand experience of barriers to economic advancement into policies to reduce them. In 1888, the woman who would become Madam C.J. The series was directed by Kasi Lemmons and DeMane Davis. Yes. a daughter named ALelia McWilliams (businesswoman) who later changed her surname to ALelia Walker after her step-father. "Employment as a Walker agent created a philanthropic opportunity for thousands of black women to support themselves, their families, and communities in spite of Jim Crow's restrictive laws and customs that deliberately locked them out of labor markets," Freeman told the National Museum of American History. Madam C.J. Ransom himself was the lawyer for the Indianapolis branch of the NAACP, the Frederick Douglass Life Insurance Company, and served on the city council. This content is imported from poll. Walker not only worked her way to becoming a self-made millionaire, she also became a staunch advocate for Black women. When Walker (who shed her old name after marrying St. Louis newspaperman Charles Joseph Walker) began using products produced by the Black hair-care entrepreneur Annie Turnbo Malone, she found . The first child in her family born after the Emancipation Proclamation, Sarah Breedlove was born on the same cotton plantation where . In the 1890s, Walker began to lose her hair. Having remarried to salesman Charles Joseph Walker, she named her product "Madame C.J. "[There are] characters who don't exist in real life and scenes that don't really happen, but of course that is the way a story gets attention, and that is the way a story has to be told in Hollywood," she says. Around 1903, Walker began to use Turnbo's products like the Great Wonderful Hair Grower. Walker herself moved around a lot during her life, so it makes sense that Self Made wasn't able to address all of the details. In the years before her death in 1919, she donated to Black colleges and secondary schools like the Tuskegee Institute (which received six scholarships), Florida's Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute (now Bethune-Cookman University), and the Palmer Memorial Institute. Walker's hair problems apparently benefited from this care and she ended up becoming a Poro sales agent. The Walker product line grew to include creams and soaps, but Walker always stayed focused on the health of her clients' hair and helping women take pride in themselves and their appearance. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove on the samecottonplantationwhere her parents, Owen and Minerva Anderson Breedlove, had been enslaved before theAmerican Civil War.