I remember going through a tough time in my life and was looking for a home for my girls and I. My goal was to be in the same village where they attended School. I eventually found a place for us to live, and was relieved because it was exactly where I wanted to live. I knew at that moment we were where we needed to be. However, I later on learned it was also where I needed to be.
I remember finding out about Madam C.J. Walker's Villa Lewaro mansion through a Facebook group. I couldn't believe that all of these years I've known about this phenomenal woman, now I actually live down the block from where she once lived. I had to see it for myself so one day I went running, and I ended up in front of the Villa Lewaro. It was a beautiful, sunny, picture-perfect day. I stopped in my tracks, took a pic and lingered for a moment to grasp as much inspiration as I could.
As a Black owned business in the beauty industry, I stand on the shoulders of Madam C.J. Walker. She was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867, to enslaved parents Owen and Minerva Breedlove, in Delta, LA. She later changed her name to Madam C.J. Walker, and became the first Black woman millionaire in America. Madam Walker created the "Walker System," which was a set of products to combat hair loss. She used her entrepreneurial spirit and knack for self-promotion to sell her products directly to Black women, and also hired "beauty culturalists" to sell her products.
