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TREP$

4 weeks ago

Entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civil rights advocate Madam C.J. Walker -- who famously became the first female self-made millionaire in America -- was born on this day in 1867. Born as Sarah Breedlove in Delta, Louisiana, Walker was the first child in her family born into freedom following the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation; Walker's parents and elder siblings had been slaves on the Madison Parish plantation. Orphaned by age 7, Walker was married and then widowed by the time she was 20.

Seeking more opportunities for herself and her young daughter, Walker moved to St. Louis where she began experimenting with home remedies to treat scalp diseases. Due to a widespread lack of indoor plumbing and infrequent bathing, many people at the time, including Walker, suffered from scalp diseases and hair loss. Over time, she developed her own line of hair products especially designed to meet the needs of black women and founded the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company.

To promote her hair products, she embarked on a sales drive throughout the South, holding demonstrations and selling her goods door to door. In 1908, she opened a college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to train "hair culturists." Within two years, she moved to Indianapolis to set up her national headquarters and began training other African American women in setting up their own businesses, often as licensed Walker Agents selling her line of hair care products. At its peak, her company employed over 3,000 people.

Walker was active in the social and political issues of the day, including joining leaders of the NAACP in their efforts to make lynching a federal crime. She also made many financial contributions to help support African American schools, organizations, orphanages, and retirement homes, among them the largest contribution to preserve the Washington, DC home of the famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

By the time of her death at age 51, this pioneering businesswoman had become the first American woman to become a self-made millionaire. Well-known for both her diligence and perseverance, Walker once stated, "There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it - for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard."

For an inspiring book to introduce young readers to Walker's incredible life story, we recommend "Vision of Beauty: The Story of Sarah Breedlove Walker" for ages 7 to 10 at www.amightygirl.com/vision-of-beauty

Older teen and adult readers can learn more about Walker's life in two biographies: "On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker" (amzn.to/1FpmjTu) and "The Black Rose" (amzn.to/1xSCo1J).

For readers ages 12 and up, Walker and her daughter are featured in a book of poems about famous women and their daughters, "Borrowed Names" at www.amightygirl.com/borrowed-names

She is also one of 21 pioneering women featured in the fascinating book "She Did It! 21 Women Who Changed the Way We Think" for ages 10 and up at www.amightygirl.com/she-did-it

For children's books about more trailblazing African-American women, visit our blog post "75 Books about Extraordinary Black Mighty Girls and Women" at www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14276 ... See MoreSee Less

TREP$

2 months ago

For Women's Entrepreneurship Day, we're celebrating Collette Divitto, a 30-year-old woman with Down syndrome, who after repeated job rejections for not being a "good fit" decided to strike out on her own and start her own cookie company! Four years after Collette Divitto founded Collettey's Cookies, she's sold hundreds of thousands of cookies and has hired 13 other people, including several with disabilities. "It is such a great feeling. I am so proud," she says. But Collette knows there is still a lot of work to do, especially to achieve her dream of helping more people with disabilities find employment. "My biggest challenge is reading all my emails," she says. "[There are] so many emails from people needing jobs so bad, and I want to help them now."

Collette perfected her craft in her family's kitchen for over ten years but, when she tried to make her love of baking into a career and applied for jobs at local bakeries, she was turned down countless times year after year. Finally, Collette, who said "it was really hurtful and I felt rejected a lot," had enough -- she started her own cookie company, Collettey’s Cookies, selling her signature cinnamon-dipped chocolate chip Amazing Cookie. She started out making 100 cookies per week for a local grocery store, but after a story by CBS Boston went viral in 2016, the surge of support allowed the young entrepreneur to move from a home-based business into an industrial kitchen in Boston and vastly expand production.

Collette's struggle to find work prior to starting her business is a common one for people with disabilities; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 10.7% of people with disabilities who are actively looking for work were unemployed in 2015, twice the rate of people without disabilities. To Collette, this reality "is very upsetting... It's very hard to find a paying job for people like me who have special needs." For this reason, she hopes to open more Collettey's locations across the U.S. in the future, explaining that "it's about getting jobs for everyone who deserves jobs." Collette also hopes to inspire other people with disabilities pursue their dreams and find their own paths to success. "Don’t let people get you down, and never give up," she asserts. "If you find a road block, then find another road."

To learn more or order cookies, you can visit Collettey's Cookies website at www.colletteys.com/shop

For books that show Mighty Girls there are no limits to what she can be, we highly recommend "ABC What Can She Be?" for ages 2 to 5 (www.amightygirl.com/abc-what-can-she-be) and "Dress Like A Girl" for ages 3 to 7 (www.amightygirl.com/dress-like-a-girl)

You can also find books, games, and other resources to teach kids of all ages about entrepreneurship, saving, and spending in our blog post "Manage Money Like A Mighty Girl" at www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14495

For an excellent guide on how to make and manage money for girls ages 9 to 12, we recommend "A Smart Girl's Guide: Money" at www.amightygirl.com/smart-girls-money

And, for books for children and teens celebrating confident girls at every age, visit our "Confidence & Self-Esteem" book section at amgrl.co/2qxXQhH ... See MoreSee Less