Thesis

     Race, Jim Crow, and being female were all barriers for African American women in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Through sheer will and determination Madam C.J. Walker overcame those barriers. She became the first female self-made millionaire as well as the wealthiest African-American woman of her time. Because of her financial success, she was able to become a force for promoting the financial, professional, and educational success of other African-Americans.

"I had to make my own living and my own opportunity. But I made it! Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them."

~ Madam C.J. Walker