Annie Turnbo Malone & Madam CJ Walker

The Reference Desk

In this episode, Katie is bewitched by the lives and legacies of Annie Turnbo Malone and Madam CJ Walker.

Many of us are familiar with the story of Madam CJ Walker, often cited as the first self-made Black millionaire, but fewer recognize the name Annie Turnbo Malone. Years before the formula for Walker’s hair treatment came to her in a dream, Malone was dominating the hair care market. It was her Poro Company system that brought Sarah Walker’s hair back to life, inspiring the happy client to join Malone’s sales team before striking out on her own under the moniker Madam CJ Walker. The two entrepreneurs each faced challenges, shattered glass ceilings, and left legacies that improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of Black women across the world. We may never know who was the first to reach a million dollars, but there is no doubting that their lasting impacts were each remarkable in their own way.

All books shared in this episode can be purchased at our Bookshop!
Staff picks:

• The Family Upstairs and The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell

The most wholesome librarian: Mychal3ts on TikTok

Recommended reading:

• The Black Rose by Tananarive Due
• Carolina Built by Kianna Alexander
• A Right Worthy Woman by Ruth P. Johnson
• On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam CJ Walker or Self Made by A’Lelia Bundles
• All About Madam CJ Walker by A’Lelia Bundles
• A Friend to All Mankind: Mrs. Annie Turnbo Malone and Poro College by John H. Whitfield
• Wonderful Hair: The Beauty of Annie Malone written by Eve Nadel Catarevas and illustrated by Felicia Marshall
• Self Made miniseries [Netflix]

Sources:
https://hereshistorypodcast.libsyn.com/tom-turpins-rosebud-cafeAfrican American Inventors-Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone Text- MAY 2021- jackyC
Annie Malone: First African American Millionairess (Educator, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist) -- Courtesy of The Freeman Institute -- www.PoroCollege.com

Annie Turnbo Malone

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Annie Malone and Madam C.J. Walker: Pioneers of the African American Beauty Industry

Annie Turnbo Malone - SHSMO Historic Missourians
Prices and Wages by Decade: 1900-1909

Hair Care Helped a Community: Black Entrepreneur Annie Malone and Poro College | National Trust for Historic Preservation

Fast Facts - ANNIE MALONE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

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