Octavia Spencer’s Netflix Series about Madam C.J. Walker Arrives Just in Time for ‘Sheltering in Place’

One of the most anticipated series on Netflix this spring is the story of the country’s first self-made female millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker, an African American woman who parlayed hair care products and cosmetics into an empire and has inspired generations of women including Academy Award winner, Octavia Spencer. Spencer produced and starred in the four-part series, ‘Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker’ which begins on the streaming platform March 20^th.

In an interview with The Wrap, Spencer said, “I was raised with Madam C.J. as a standard-bearer in my home. My mother used her as an example to demonstrate to my siblings and I, because we were born of humble beginnings as well, what we could dream of ourselves…So I’ve known about her my whole life, and that’s why I thought it was time for her story to be told.”

Madam C.J. Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in a small Louisiana community two years after the Civil War ended which made her the first child in her family born free. When her mother died in 1872, Breedlove moved to live with an older sister, but because of her brother-in-law, Breedlove left and married when she was 14 years-old and had one daughter, A’leilia. When her husband died, Breedlove moved.

The Mentor & The Protege

Eventually, she settled in St. Louis where her brothers were barbers, and in St. Louis, she also learned of Annie Malone, a Black woman entrepreneur with a line of hair care products and a network of agents who sold them for a commission. Breedlove began selling for Malone’s Poro Company which distributed its wares around the world. Many historians identify Annie Malone as the first self-made female millionaire in America.

A’Leilia Bundles, Breedlove’s great-great granddaughter, told TheVillageCelebration no one really knows how Breedlove and Malone first met. She added, “Sarah Breedlove was losing her hair. I believe Annie Malone helped Sarah with some of her hair issues. Then, when Sarah wanted to leave St. Louis, she moved to Denver to get a fresh start, selling Malone’s products.” The two women became estranged following a controversy over the origin of Breedlove’s hair care formula.

In Denver Breedlove married Charles Walker (played by Blair Underwood) and became known as Madam C.J. Walker. She began the “Walker System” and relocated her business to Indianapolis, the company’s headquarters. At the height of her career, she hired thousands of women to sell her shampoo and pomade.

“What Madam did was create a narrative and a space for Black women to be empowered and to feel beautiful, and with that beauty and confidence, become empowered and take charge of their own destiny,” Spencer said. 

The Legend

Walker was a philanthropist and an activist, supporting Black business ownership and helping other women start their own businesses.

During a 1912 address to the National Negro Business League, Walker said, “I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. From there I was promoted to the washtub. From there, I was promoted to the cook kitchen. And from there, I promoted myself into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I have built my own factory on my own ground.”

Madam C.J. Walker died on May 25, 1919 from kidney failure and complications of hypertension. She was 51.