Six Things To Know About Madam C.J. Walker, the Inspiration Behind Netflix's 'Self Made'
If you weren’t lucky enough to learn about the life and legacy of one of the world’s most illustrious women, Netflix is making sure to give you a proper history lesson.
The story of Sarah Breedlove otherwise known as Madam C.J. Walker is finally coming to the small screen (tablet and phone) in a four-part drama titled, "Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J." set to air on Friday (March 20.)
The series will take viewers down the complicated last decade of Walker’s life while introducing them to how the Black woman, born to formerly enslaved sharecroppers on December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana, would eventually become the first American women to be declared a self-made millionaire.
Before she even turned 21, Walker had been married at 14, escaped her abusive brother-in-law, and was a widowed mother. She eventually found love again with her third husband and ad salesman Charles Joseph (C.J.) Walker.
Turning to Annie Turnbo Malone’s hair-growing cream after being hired by Malone as a commission agent, Walker would soon be introduced into the world of entrepreneurism and build her own Black women hair care empire.
“I want the great masses of my people to take a greater pride in their personal appearance and to give their hair proper attention,” Walker once said.
Here are six interesting facts about the life and legacy of millionaire mogul, Madam C.J. Walker.
SHE BUILT HER OWN ESTATE
Constructed in 1918, the Villa Lewaro mansion, which is nestled in Upstate New York, was once a gathering place for esteemed leaders of the Harlem Renaissance like James Weldon Johnson, W.E.B.Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, and Langston Hughes.
Ambassador Harold Doley Jr. and his wife Helena Doley lived in the Villa from 1993 to 2018. The architectural wonderland was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1976.
Octavia Spencer Stars As Madame
Carrying the torch to portray the remarkable life of Madame C.J. Walker is Academy award-winning actress, Octavia Spencer, who recalled playing the role as intimidating.
“It’s daunting to play her because in the Black community, we look up to her. But it’s daunting any time you have to tell the story of someone’s real life -- you don’t want to make a mistake,” she said in an interview with Allure.
Nonetheless, it's a role that she was excited to play as Madame's story has always meant so much to Spencer growing up.
“She was one of the people that my mom used as a standard-bearer for us, to teach us that anything that we ever dreamed for ourselves could happen.”
She Employed Black Women
After creating the Walker Company with the guidance of her attorney, Freeman B. Ransom, the businesswoman developed employment for thousands of Black women, calling them “Walker Agents.”
The philanthropic job opportunity helped women support themselves and their families during the rise of the Jim Crow era.
In addition to Walker Agents, a Walker network of beauty schools were available to provide a stable education and career for thousands of Black women in the beauty industry.
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BLAIR UNDERWOOD PLAYS HER HUSBAND
Blair Underwood plays Christopher Joseph, Walker’s third husband, who was an entrepreneur and marketing guru. When describing the connection that believed C.J. had with his wife, Underwood described it as deeper than just love.
“She was a driving force, even though she had C.J.’s name, she was the driving force,” Underwood said in an interview with BET.com. "C.J. brought a lot to the table initially because he was an ads man, he was a salesman, and he could help market the product, but she made that fortune happen.”
As a Golden Globe nominee, Underwood is an incomparable performer who has played manifold of roles, includng the television series, "Dear White People," the Netflix original film, "When They See Us," the iconic film" Set It Off," and many more.
HER GREAT, GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER KEEPS HER STORY ALIVE
A’Lelia Bundles is one of the driving forces behind the Netflix original series thanks to the biography she wrote about her great-great-grandmother, On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker.
As a public speaker and 30-year industry veteran as an executive and Emmy award-winning producer for ABC News and NBC News, Bundles is a brand historian, trustee of Columbia University and chair emerita of the National Archives Foundation. Most of all, she has been instrumental in keeping Madame’s legacy alive for all these years and many more to come.
Madame Is Still Making Money
Madam C.J. Walker Enterprises was purchased by Sundial Brands in 2013, CEO Richelieu Dennis and A’Lelia Bundles came to an agreement to honor Walker’s legacy while meeting the needs of consumers.
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