The first female to ever become a self made millionaire was a Black woman during segregation in the early 1900s, and her success went widely unnoticed by the general population. Because the empire she created was built on hair products specially formulated for Black women.

Born to former slaves in Louisiana in 1867, Sarah Breedlove was orphaned at age 7 and had an unbelievable hard life being born just after the Civil War when hatred towards Blacks was stronger than ever, especially in the South.

Seeing an untapped opportunity, she established the Madame C. J. Walker Company, the name she would better be known by. It not only made her wealthy but also provided employment for thousands of Black women.

She passed away in 1919, but before doing so, she quietly donated substantial funds to Black communities, churches, and educational institutions, and assisted Black people fleeing Jim Crow violence in the South and supporting anti-lynching campaigns.

In 1998 she was featured on a United States postage stamp and was forever honored by the country she worked so hard to make better.