Janitta Swain: Madame C.J. Walker
Quotes
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Madame C.J. Walker : See, ladies, you don't have to define yourself by your current station in life. But only by your vision of who you become. Today you see a success. And I hear many of you say, "But, Madam Walker, I just don't have the opportunities you had." And I respond, "Really?" I was the first freeborn in my family. Orphaned at seven. Married at 14 and widowed with child by 20. I'm a woman that came from the cotton fields of the South. From there, I was promoted to the washtub. From there, I was promoted to the cook kitchen. From there, I promoted myself to the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations. I built my own factory on my own ground. I got my start by giving myself a good start. Ladies, there is no flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I haven't found it. If I've accomplished anything in my life, it's because I was willing to work hard. You can do something new today. And don't be too haughty. You can always go to that washtub for a seat.
Dinesh D'Souza : [about Madam C.J. Walker] What a role model. So why is she left out of the history books? Because she confounds the shame narrative. She's an African American success story. In a way, she sounds like Martin Luther King. King once said, " Every man must write with his own hand the charter of his Emancipation Proclamation. We are all in this country a minority of one and how we succeed or fail depends on our efforts."
