Vivian Randolph breathing fresh air into Madame C.J. Walker Enterprises

Madame C.J. Walker

fjones@theoklahomaeagle.net

www.okeagleonline.com

Vivian Randolph has caught the vision, having inherited Madame C.J. Walker Enterprises, originally known as Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company of Indiana, Inc., the historical hair care company founded by Madame C.J. Walker. Vivian envisions a broad future for the legacy of Madame C.J. Walker's original line of hair care products, and is intent on expanding the original line with new all natural hair care products. She believes that there is a definite need for women of color to embrace their own natural beauty and has worked to produce ethnic based Madame C.J. Walker beauty products that stay true to this idea.

Miss Randolph places a strong emphasis on Madame Walker's original concept of "Beauty Culture", by teaching that true beauty incorporates a healthy lifestyle and clean living. Additionally, Vivian has Madame Walker's Spirit of Economic Empowerment well in hand as she -a Black owned Business CEO- continues to encourage all people of color to support Black owned Beauty Shops and Suppliers across the country.

As many may already know, Madame C. J. Walker was America's first self-made female millionaire, but what many do not know is how her historic company came to be owned by the Randolph family:

By the time of her passing in 1919, Madame C. J. Walker had built one of the largest Black owned manufacturing companies in the world, an international network of over 25,000 Madame Walker agents, beauty schools in three states, and a 32 room mansion at Irvington-on-the-Hudson, New York. She amassed her fortune through hard work, innovative ideas, and a fierce dedication to her craft and her people. Contrary to most historical accounts, Madame C. J. Walker did not invent the pressing comb. Per her own words, Madame Walker started the "hair-growing" business, borne out her desire to remedy her own hair loss. She was also an early civil rights advocate on behalf of Black people, and an avid financial supporter of what today we call HBCU"s or Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

In 1985, the Trustees of the Madame Walker Trust sold the stock and assets of Madame Walker's company, including inventory and historical documents, to a man named Raymond Randolph. The owners of the remaining shares of stock not in the Trust also agreed to sell their shares to Raymond Randolph. Thus, on December 20th, 1985, Raymond L. Randolph became the first person since Madame C. J. Walker herself to own all 1000 shares of stock in the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company of Indiana, aka the Madame C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company.

Upon his purchase of the historical Madame Walker Manufacturing Company, Mr. Randolph redesigned the packaging, placing Madame Walker's image back on the jars just as Madame herself had done. He also developed a professional line of products -Criteria- and expanded the retail line to include two new oils, Vitamin E. Super Grow and A&E Plus 8. Products were sold throughout the United States, Canada, Barbados and Puerto Rico. After being aggressively courted by the city of Tuskegee, AL, Mr. Randolph relocated there in 1989 until mid 1993. During this time period, the Walker products were sold nationwide in Wal-Mart and over 30 military bases. However due to illness, other family matters and a breakdown in the relationship with the City of Tuskegee, the company moved back to Indianapolis in 1993, with its manufacturing activities taking place at a friend's plant in Louisville, KY.

It was at this time that the decision was made to incorporate Madame Walker Manufacturing under the name of Madame C. J. Walker Enterprises, with the intention of expanding the Madame Walker brand name beyond the hair-care market.

Raymond Randolph passed away in December of 2002; his loss was a great blow to his family. Nevertheless his family has carried on. Since Mr. Randolph's passing Madame C.J. Walker Enterprises has been under the care and leadership of his wife Joyce and his daughters Angela, Stephanie and Vivian.

Their goal is and always has been to resurrect this historical company to its former prominence. To that end, Vivian and her family have worked to develop new quality products, and to perfect the manufacturing of the original Madame C. J. Walker products. They are committed to the Madame Walker Legacy and to the idea that the expanded Madame C.J. Walker product line will be worthy of Madame Walker's name and well worth the wait!