'Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker': All the famous black bigwigs on the Netflix original show
Spoilers for 'Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker'
Netflix's 'Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker' narrates the inspirational story of Madam CJ Walker, America's first female self-made millionaire. Inspired by the book written by Walker's great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles, the Netflix original series takes us on the difficult journey that Madam CJ Walker embarked upon over a hundred years ago.
Played by Octavia Spencer, Madam CJ Walker was born Sarah Breedlove just after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. Her life wasn't an easy one but she rose from poverty and paved the way for African American entrepreneurship. The path was all the more difficult for Walker because apart from being African American, she was also a woman. Yet support came from the unlikeliest of sources.
The Netflix original also features some influential names from the African American community who worked towards the upliftment for their people. Here are a few of them.
Annie Malone (Malone inspired the character Addie Munroe, played by Carmen Ejogo)
It is revealed at the end of the series that Madam C.J. Walker had stolen the Addie Munroe's (Carmen Ejogo) recipes, much like she stole from the real-life Annie Malone. It might have been exaggerated for the benefit of the series, but in real life, Annie Malone did not invest the time and energy that Carmen's character did for Walker's downfall. Much like Walker, but way before Walker embarked on her journey, Malone was a businesswoman, philanthropist, and inventor, who went on to be one of the first African American women to become a millionaire. Not only had she developed a cosmetics brand but she also set up an education enterprise for African-American women.
W E B Du Bois (played by Cornelius Smith Jr)
Making a small appearance on the show was Cornelius Smith Jr as W E B Du Bois, who runs into Walker at a meeting and is honored for the fortunate rendezvous. The first African American to earn a doctorate, Du Bois was a sociologist, socialist, historian, civil rights activist, and Pan-Africanist. He was one of the founding members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
Booker T Washington (played by Roger Guenveur Smith)
In the Netflix series, Walker believes that getting an endorsement from Booker T Washington at the National Negro Business League will help her enterprise gain some foothold. But when she finally surpasses all the hurdles and manages to present her case of him in front of an entire audience, he engages in a sexist rant and she is told that women mustn't become entrepreneurs because that is not their place. We can't be sure if this exchange happened in reality.
In real life, however, Booker T Washington, educator, author, orator, and adviser to multiple presidents of the United States, was a strong leader of the community. The last of the generation of black leaders born into slavery, he founded the National Negro Business League, a platform to promote the interests of African-American businesses. He became the first leader of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which is now known as Tuskegee University.
Margaret Washington (played by Kimberly Huie)
In the Netflix series, Walker wants to secure a meeting with Booker T Washington to bag his endorsement for her company. The only way to do so seems to be via his wife Margaret Washington. But when she meets her, Margaret tells her that women do not get into men's business. In a very sorry scene, Margaret tells a rather desperate Walker that she can hardly be of any help because being a man's world, women have little to no say in business conventions. But that changes when sometime later, she herself hands Walker a crowdfunded cheque.
Margaret co-founded the National Association of Colored Women in 1896 and became the fifth president of the organisation. She constantly worked for the upliftment of the poor and neglected. She worked tirelessly in the field of education by starting the Mt Meigs School for boys and industrial school for girls. Margaret Washington also founded country schools and offered domestic education for mothers focusing on domestic and vocational education.
All the episodes of 'Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam CJ Walker' are currently streaming on Netflix.