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Case
| HBS Case Collection
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2011
(Revised from original 2007 version)
Madam C.J. Walker: Entrepreneur, Leader, and Philanthropist
by
Nancy F. Koehn, Anne Dwojeski, William Grundy, Erica Helms and Katherine Miller
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Abstract
Madam C. J. Walker, who has been credited as the first self-made African-American woman millionaire, created a hair-care empire after years spent as a laundress in St. Louis, Missouri. Decades before the Civil Rights movement, her company gave employment to thousands of African-American women and marketed its products around the world. Madam Walker was active in the social and political causes of her day, and used her position as a successful entrepreneur to promote philanthropy and self-advancement in the African-American community.
Keywords: Gender Characteristics;
Race Characteristics;
Entrepreneurship;
Giving and Philanthropy;
Business History;
Leadership;
Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact;
Personal Development and Career;
Saint Louis;