Madam C.J. Walker Launches a New Hair-Care Line

Angel: I was an entrepreneur in my former life and have always been somebody that likes to tinker, and create, and come up with new ideas. Madam C.J. Walker is always the gold star of the first Black millionaire. She was revolutionary. She was an inventor. She did things differently and broke the mold. If you study business at all, no matter what race you are, but particularly if you’re a Black woman, you know who she is.

Lynn Nestor: I’ve been in this role for a few months, but this is probably the first time where I can explain to my family, very clearly, what I do. This is my impact. Where before, they’re just like, “Well, she's gone to school. She’s employed. We’ve done our job.” I can say, “No. Walk into the Walmart a few blocks away, go into this aisle, this is the effect I have.” One of the first questions I asked Angel when she was telling me about the brand was, “Is the family involved?” To see how involved A’Lelia is in all of this, and really making sure that this is Madam by Madam C.J. Walker in product and name, is an amazing thing.

A'Lelia: You made me cry, because this is a gift for me. As a journalist, I knew this is an important story to tell. But the gift for me has been how Madam Walker inspires other people. I never know whether it’s going to be somebody working on their eighth-grade report for National History Day or whether it’s going to be a student at Harvard Business School.

What do you hope that this line brings to consumers across the country?

Cara: It’s been a really heavy two years plus, I think, for society. If I double-click, specifically, on people of color, for a number of reasons. As we started developing the campaign, it was important to us that we injected some joy and optimism, some fun and color, and experimentation. We want to also celebrate joy and discovery.

If you could ask Madam Walker one question, what would it be?

Angel: There are so many questions I would ask her. Doing what she did, in the time that she did it, probably something around that. As a mother, and an entrepreneur, and somebody stepping out, basically, in faith on an idea, how did she maintain the stamina to run the race that she ran?

Cara: We call her a trailblazer, and she indeed was one. But when you really think about a Black woman, in the early 1900s, there was no path for her. Where did she get that confidence, and that insight, and that vision? What propelled her to know that she could create a path, even though no one had done before what she had done?

Who are women inspiring you in 2022?

Cara: I’m inspired by the modern-day inventors and innovators. There’s a woman, she goes by Pinky, and she has a chain of vegan fast-food restaurants, mostly in the Atlanta area. She’s branching out, and it’s called Slutty Vegan. Pinky and her partner are on the cover of Essence Magazine this month, where they’re featuring how couples have created businesses as entrepreneurs together. When I see stories like that, that is really inspirational.