CJ Burton

Tweet TweetOccasionally, the unthinkable occurs. I run out of the non-fiction informational books that I like to read – and as a last resort, I pick up “emergency reading material” like Oprah Magazine. (My wife gets it. Not me! I swear!) And usually, like I do with most magazines, I just like to read the ads. I was about 78 pages into it when, for some reason, I started reading an actual article about successful women. And that’s when an amazing lady jumped out of the page at me. Her name is...Read Full Story

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.This post is not a biography of Madam C .J.  Walker – her great-great-grand daughter, A’Lelia Bundles, has a wealth of information available from her blog, and  her books. 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...Read Full Story

With the launch of La La's new cosmetic line Motives for La La on the first day of Black History Month. It got me to thinking about all of the great impact African American woman have made to the beauty industry. So in honor of those great beautiful women, I will be posting the ladies I feel have made huge contributions towards shaping what we've known to be as beauty in America.Madame C.J. Walker (Sarah Breedlove) I'd be remise if I did not mention the Madame C.J. Walker. The beauty industry...Read Full Story

Madame C.J. Walker was a self-made businesswoman who created opportunities for herself and for other African American women at a time when both educational and career opportunities were limited. Walker was the first African-American woman to become a millionaire, and (according to the Guiness book of world records) the first woman to earn a million dollars through her own efforts. She was also a philanthropist and a tireless worker for several causes, including the end of lynching and equal...Read Full Story

L-R Billie Holiday, Josephine Baker, Bessie Coleman, and C. J. Walker by Alexander Doll CompanyThe Alexander Doll Company's most recent Coquette Cissy (formerly known and Cissette) is presented as C. J. Walker (Madam C. J. Walker), pictured on the far right in the above image.  This doll is part of Alexander's 2011 fashion collection and is one of my most recent doll acquisitions.  Number 4 of 250, the doll's history card describes her fashion as:  "a two-piece suit cut from fine wool...Read Full Story