Black women are often at the forefront of Black progress and social movements. Black hairdressers and manicurists working in their homes and salons created culturally and politically safe spaces for their clients. At the same time, their collective economic power helped to sustain generations of Black activism.
Madam C.J. Walker was a titan of the Black beauty industry, and she used her company, the Walker Company, to help fund Black organizations. They were involved in everything from opening YMCAs to registering voters. However, their financial support for Black media ensured that the voices of liberation would be heard.
The Walker Company Funds also helped keep liberatory media and messaging alive. The company provided advertising money to help sustain Marcus Garvey’s Black nationalist Negro World and A. Phillip Randolph’s socialist Messenger (1917-1928). While the two men may have been opposed ideologically, both enjoyed the support of Black beauticians.
The community of Black beauticians funded the work of liberation, from words to actions.
Black papers like Marcus Garvey’s ‘Negro World’ and A. Philip Randolph’s ‘Messenger’ could not have been possible without the support of thousands of Black hairdressers and manicurists. We can do the same by donating to Black organizations that are continuing the liberation work of our ancestors.