One of the very first Colored persons (thanks to and honor due Negro womanhood) to develop an enterprise from a local venture into a successful national and international commercial standard was the far-seeing and progressive late Madam C. J. Walker, of Indianapolis and New York. Starting with a few cents in her pocket but with a full knowledge of the value of her beauty culture and toilet articles, with even fuller knowledge of their urgent need among her Colored sisters, and with the fullest determination and confidence to succeed, Mrs. Walker within the short period of twelve years made for herself a wealth of one million dollars. This fortune included a modernly equipped home in Indianapolis, Ind., a fifty thousand dollar residence in New York City, and a two hundred fifty thousand dollar mansion at Irvington-on-the-Hudson, New York. Aside from the numerous and unrecorded sums of money she gave to both Colored and white charities during her twelve years of wonderful financial career, Mrs. Walker at her death bequeathed one hundred thousand dollars to be used in many charitable ways for the encouragement and uplift of her race. The business, Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Co., was left to her daughter, Mrs. Lelia Walker Wilson, whose business abilities handed down to her from her gifted mother, together with her own original ideas and efforts have already increased the enterprise. Mrs. Walker’s life of marvelous success will ever stand out as a clear beacon light to Negro youths, especially Colored girls. And when the circumstances under which she labored are taken into just consideration her achievements are recognized as worthy of being recorded on the best pages of American history.
Right on the heels of the above business wonder is the commercial success of Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Malone, St. Louis, Mo., who are also in the same line of business. On account of the superior quality of their goods, the urgent demands for same and the resulting satisfaction they are giving, their business has increased so rapidly that they were compelled to recently erect a two hundred fifty thousand dollar five-story fireproof building. In this structure are housed their manufacturing plant and office force. The Malones are giving $5,000 toward the Colored Y. M. C. A. Work and various other sums of money for different lines of betterment for their race, (like the late Madame Walker and several other wealthy Colored people) show they are with a Good Samaritan spirit taking altruistic advantages of their unusual success in business by repeatedly aiding their less fortunate Race people or humanity in general after they have found the need of such aid is for a worthy and good cause. So Mr. & Mrs. Malone are today equally dividing their time between the expansion of their Poro College business and the encouragement and uplift of their struggling Race.
(Figures extracted from Work’s Negro Year Book, 1918-1919 edition, p. 3).
Colored girls who want to go into business for themselves or be successful in anything but hesitate and hold back because they belong to the Negro race and are Colored, should remember that:—The most powerful thing in the world (the sun) is Colored, and just because Nature has willed that it must get up every morning and retire every evening with a red rosy face does not mean that it is blushing with shame or holding back its leadership in light and energy just because it happens to be a golden color.
According to an article that appeared in the April 16, 1921 issue of the Chicago Defender, the Kashmir Chemical Co., and the Nile Queen Co. are to be formed into one corporation in its own three story building and is to have a capital of two hundred thousand dollars. This is also a beauty culture business and is under the hustling and capable leaderships of its president David Manson and his associates J. D. Bell, George Walker and C. A. Barnett.
To be awarded first prize at the Paris Exposition in 1900 and the Jamestown Exposition in 1907 and to be awarded a contract by the United States Government to supply its army during the World War, is what A. C. Howard’s shoe polish has accomplished for him. And today the products of A. C. Howard Shoe Polish Manufacturing Co., New York have become known on both sides of the oceans.
Because of their unusual business success the writer quotes below from Work’s Negro Year Book, 1918-1919, pages 360-361, sketches telling about the accomplishments of three among America’s foremost Colored business men.
“Boyd, Dr. R. H. Prominent minister in the Baptist denomination. He established in 1896, the National Baptist Publishing House at Nashville, Tenn. The printing plant occupies a half block in the business portion of the city. It pays its employees over $200,000 a year for labor. According to inventory made by Bradstreet’s Agency, the value of stock, equipment and property of the concern is about $350,000. Here all the books and pamphlets needed in the Sunday School and church work of the Negro Baptists are published. Dr. Boyd is the president of the National Negro Doll Company, which manufacturers high class Negro dolls.”
“Merrick, John. One of the most successful Negro business men in the United States. He was born in Clinton, North Carolina, September 7, 1859; died August 6, 1919; was a bricklayer by trade, and later, became a barber. In 1898 he founded the North Carolina Mutual and Provident Association, which is one of the strongest Negro insurance companies in the world. He was one of the wealthiest Negroes in North Carolina. He owned a large amount of real estate. His monthly rent income was over $500.”
“Smith, Robert L. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, 1861. Founder of the Farmer’s Improvement Society of Texas. He graduated from Atlanta University, and for a time was editor of a paper in Charleston. He then went to Texas and became a teacher. In 1895 he was elected a member of the Texas Legislature. Wishing to help the people, he organized in 1890, the Farmers’ Improvement Society. The members of the Association now own over 75,000 acres of land worth considerably over $1,000,000. In 1906 the Society founded an agricultural college at Ladonia, Texas, and in 1911, they organized a bank at Waco, Texas. The Society also operates an overall factory at Waco. Under the Auspices of the Society Farmers’ Institutes and fairs are held.”