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Classroom · Grades 6–12

Madam C. J. Walker

Walker built a national business owned and staffed by Black women and used its profits and networks to fund Black civic and political life.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 7 (Production, Distribution, and Consumption) and 5 (Individuals, Groups, and Institutions); C3 D2.Eco.1.6-8, D2.His.3.9-12
Reading
Madam C. J. Walker (profile)

Big Idea

Walker built a national business owned and staffed by Black women and used its profits and networks to fund Black civic and political life.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Madam C. J. Walker, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Walker’s central innovation was a sales force of Black women agents. Why might that model have mattered as much to those women as the products themselves?
  2. At the 1912 National Negro Business League convention Walker spoke even though Booker T. Washington did not recognize her. What does that moment reveal about gender and leadership in Black institutions of the time?
  3. Walker is often called the first self-made female millionaire, but the claim is disputed. Why do such “first” claims spread, and why does it matter to get them right?
  4. Historians see a tension between self-help and the beauty standards Walker’s products served. How would you weigh the economic opportunities she created against that criticism?

Activity

Students analyze the 1920 Walker Company advertisement from the Library of Congress. In pairs they identify the audience, the promises the advertisement makes, and the images of womanhood it presents. They then compare the advertisement with the profile’s description of Walker’s agents, conventions, and philanthropy and write a short response: does the advertisement tell the whole story of what the company was? Extend by reading a passage of Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address on economic self-help and discussing where Walker’s career fits that vision and where it goes beyond it (30–40 minutes).

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Madam C. J. Walker.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/madam-cj-walker/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Madam C. J. Walker. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/madam-cj-walker/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Madam C. J. Walker.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/madam-cj-walker/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

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