Commonly known as the first Black woman millionaire in America, Madam C. J. Walker made her fortune thanks to her homemade line of hair care products for Black women. She was inspired to create hair products after an experience with hair loss and came up with a treatment that would completely change the Black hair care industry which she dubbed the “Walker system” of hair care. Madam C. J. Walker was a talented entrepreneur with a knack for self-promotion. She would sell her homemade products directly to Black women, using a personal approach that won her loyal customers. She went on to build a business empire and employed a fleet of saleswomen to sell the product whom she called “beauty culturalists.” While other products for Black hair (largely manufactured by white businesses at the time) were on the market, Madam C. J. Walker's products became the "gold standard" and were differentiated from others by her emphasizing its attention to the health of the women who would use it. She opened a beauty school and factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania named after her daughter before moving her business headquarters to Indianapolis, a city with access to railroads for distribution and a large population of Black American customers. At the height of production, the Madame C.J. Walker Company employed over three thousand people, largely Black women who sold Walker’s products door-to-door. At a time when jobs for Black women were fairly limited, she promoted female talent, even stipulating in her company’s charter that only a woman could serve as president. The self-made millionaire used her fortune to fund scholarships for women at the Tuskegee Institute and donated large parts of her wealth to the NAACP, the Black YMCA and other charities.

The color Gold in TJI's logo highlights the entrepreneurial and philanthropic achievements of Madam C. J. Walker and further recognizes her status as a Black female pioneer in business and commerce. Within our logo it houses our $ icon which represents revenue.