Background Madam C.J. Walker was an entrepreneur given the title of “the nation’s first woman self-made millionaire”, due to her successful line of hair care products. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove on December 23, 1867- four years after Abraham Lincoln enforced the Emancipation Proclamation and two years after the Civil War had ended (Bundles 2016). Walker’s early life endured countless obstacles before her business achievements. Her parents were sharecroppers on a cotton plantation in Delta, Louisiana, and like many children at that time, she began working in the cotton fields at a young age. It was not until her parents died after contacting a severe case of the yellow fever outbreak, that Sarah moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, to live …show more content…
Walker wanted to create a competitive advantage. In order to do so, she challenged herself to create a unique value proposition with her products, this was through advertising and product distinctiveness. It was evident that Madam C.J. Walker understood the power of advertising. To defy the beauty standards at the time that idealized European hair texture and facial features, she boldly presented her own face on her products in order to appeal to her core market which was African American women. In addition, she wanted to set herself apart from her competitors by including “before and after” photographs and testimonials from customers, to indicate that results were beneficial. This strategy allowed her to expand into the Caribbean’s (Bundles …show more content…
Walker’s success has significantly influenced the view of female entrepreneurs in the past and present day. Being the first of her kind, she was able to lead the path for woman hesitant to start a business due to societal norms. Firstly, she has taught me to take initiative. By doing so you develop an internal locus of control in which you believe you can influence the events and outcomes of your life. In her experience, she faced numerous adversities, including becoming an orphan at such a young age, facing emotional and physical abuse, the loss of her first husband, and hair loss. However, she did not allow such circumstances to stop her from wanting more for her life (History.com Staff 2009). Along with hard work and perseverance she was able to overcome her adversities. In addition, her determination showed that you have to be ahead of the curve. Being an African American woman in her time was exceptionally difficult as equality between race and gender were heavily unmet. However, she did not allow such a challenge to stop her from going after an idea, which was to start her own venture. As she quickly began to grow her business, Walker began making 10 times the average amount of an American weekly and twice the amount of a white male made weekly (Menzel
Loreta Velazquez was born in Havana, Cuba on June 26th, 1842. She has a Spanish father and a French-American mother. In 1849, she was shipped from Cuba to New Orleans to live her aunt, she attended Catholic school. There she learned to speak English and eventually married an army officer known as William, she ran away with him and at the age of fourteen.
Walker was fast building “an empire in the trey tradition of American enterprise—producing products in her own factory, recruiting a nationwide sales group to sell them, and making and owning sops of beauty that used and promoted them (Madame). Walker knew she had to sell her products on a national level if she wanted to make a large fortune. She made a chain of beauty parlors through the U.S., South America, and the Caribbean. By 1910, she recruited five thousand black agents to sell her products on a commission basis (C.J.) By 1917, the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company was “the largest Black-owned business in the country” with yearly income of about $500,000. A lot of the success was built around Black women known as “Walker agents” and they became familiar sights around the Caribbean and the U.S. with their white blouses and long black skirts (Madame).
Moving schools is a dramatic change for any child but moving across the country is live changing for any family. In the fictional novel “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver introduces a dysfunctional family clinging to a piece of thread in the outskirts Belgian Congo jungle of death. A Baptist preacher from Bethlehem, Georgia takes his wife and four daughters into the Belgian Congo jungles in Africa to serve as missionary family without knowing what’s lies in store for them. Through the novel they face many obstacles to test the integrity of their faith. Although the family is able to pass the obstacles by death and the separation of the Price family.
Fannie Lou Hamer, one of the co-founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, was a charismatic leader of the civil rights movement, executing determination every step of the way. Throughout her time, she went from picking cotton in the fields of the Mississippi Delta to speaking at the Democratic Convention. She was born on Saturday, October 6, 1917, coming from one of the most underdeveloped, rural communities in Montgomery County, Mississippi. Her parents, Jim and Lou Ella Townsend, were sharecroppers in Sunflower County, Mississippi which led Fannie Lou to begin working in the cotton fields of E.W. Brandon’s Ruleville plantation at the age of two. Sharecroppers worked on a distinct section of the plantation.
Macon Dead uses highly negative words such as “disgust,” “uneasiness,” and “revolting” to describe his feelings toward his biological son. The reader is taken aback by the revelation by Macon Dead. The situation is ironic because, he sees his son in such a negative light despite the child being innocent. The statement by Macon Dead foreshadows the troubled relationship he shares with Milkman and it also reflects the characteristics Macon Dead possess. The words spoken by Mrs. Bains were aloof however, they hold a deep meaning.
Passionate, open-minded, worldly, hard-working, leadership skills Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. She points her pale finger at a word and I say, “Legislature.” She pauses, and then repeats the word, “Legislature.”
In Alice Walker 's "Everyday Use" the message abut the preservation of heritage, specifically African American, is very clear. Walker believes that a person 's heritage should be a dynamic part of the culture from which it arose. Walker was born in Eatonton,Georgia to sharecroppers (her parents). Walker, as well as other analyst, demonstrated why readers ' heritage should be accepted. Walker based this short story on a poor family in Georgia.
Soon after I crawled out of my hole of self-pity, I thought to myself, “First thing’s first, I need to get a job so I can support us.” And that’s exactly what I did. I now work at Speedway, and even though it’s not exactly my dream job, thinking about Izzy makes every mess I clean up, dish I wash, and every insane ranting customer worth it. I wake up every morning, and put on my uniform with pride, and gratitude that I have a way to provide for her. Having Izzy has forced me to learn pivotal values in life, such as responsibility, self-worth, selflessness, hard work, and keeping a positive attitude.
Everyday Heritage shown by Alice Walker Alice Walker, who wrote “Everyday Use,” had an unfortunate childhood. As a result of her brother’s mishap, she grew up shy and self-conscious of her appearance. Also, despite dealing with her physical appearance, Walker was born in 1944, and grew up under Jim Crow Laws. Walker’s parents are her biggest supporters, and they are the reason for the college opportunities she has had.
Sarah also organized education centers for her sales force, research manufacturing and laboratories, and a beauty institute to teach her ‘hair culturists. Walker’s employees best known as ‘Walker Agents’ elevated Walker’s conception of ‘cleanliness and loneliness’ a way of shining light on the status of African-Americans ("Madame C. J. Walker"). An innovator, Walker coordinated clubs and meetings for her agents, but also big-hearted and informative attempts among African-Americans ("Madame C. J.
Walker created hair producers, and she also help end lynching along with other roles to fulfilled, but she one major role she play a part in was helping women gain rights. Finally, Walker was a feminist, and she promoted female abilities by making sure that women were advocated to president of her own companies to ensure the rights that women were given. When her company expanded tremendously she enlisted women to sell her products, so that they can have a better living for themselves and have better jobs. Also, her products helped women earn money to provided a good education to their children and to build a home for
Throughout the novel My Antonia by Willa Cather, the character Antonia Shimerda learns several life lessons that significantly influence her life as a young woman and into her adult years. According to the dictionary a life lesson is “something from which useful knowledge or principles can be learned.” As an bohemian immigrant Antonia gains knowledge of the American lifestyle which is able to teach her how to progress through life’s many challenges. Three major lessons that contributed to developing her into a loving mother and rich mine of life include her open- mindedness, optimism, and maturity regarding hard work at a young age. To begin, Antonia learns to be open- minded despite the troublesome situations she experiences during the course
At age fourteen I began fulfilling a more demanding role at the dance studio; I was asked by the director if I was interested in being an assistant for a few of her larger classes. As I walked into class the day I started assisting, I was feeling slightly nervous, but I was mostly excited to finally have the opportunity to be an example for others. More so, I felt honored that the director—someone I looked up to—thought I was ready to serve as that example. Nevertheless, my nerves were getting to me, and I hoped I was successfully managing everything that was expected of me.
She had a son while she was young. She escaped an abusive relationship and worked to improve her life. To support her son, she started in the insurance business as a file clerk. She showed up ready to work and learn anything she could about the business. She worked her way up in the industry to be the first woman senior officer at the Workers Compensation Fund (“WCF”).
There are many encouraging people in this world today, but there is one in particular. Serena Williams has so many accomplishments in life. I believe she would be an encouraging speaker for all the kids in our school. Serena Williams is the only tennis player to ever accomplish a golden career grand slam in singles and doubles.