Madam C.J. Walker Launches Her Hair Care Products Business

Sarah Breedlove — later known as Madam C.J. Walker — began developing and selling her specialized hair care products for Black women around 1905 in Denver, Colorado. She built a direct-sales business model employing thousands of Black women as "Walker agents" across the country. Walker would become the first self-made female millionaire in America, transforming both the beauty industry and economic opportunity for Black women.