Sarah Breedlove was born in Louisiana, becoming the first of her parents’ children born into freedom after emancipation.
On December 23, 1867, Sarah Breedlove, who would become famous as Madam C. J. Walker, was born on a plantation in Delta, Louisiana. Her birth marked a significant turning point as she was the first child in her family born into freedom, following the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. Her parents, Owen and Minerva Breedlove, were formerly enslaved and worked as sharecroppers, instilling values of hard work and resilience in Sarah from an early age. This environment of change and hope undoubtedly influenced her later achievements as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.