The people who overcame unimaginable odds and social injustice are usually dreamers who don't simply play by the rules and the establishment.
Open Forum
Free speechMADAME C. J.WALKER .......AN ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL STORY AND TRULY INSPIRING ... TO EVERYONE REGARDLESS SKYN COLOUR !
Showing messages 1–10 of 11
Mrs. WALKER's HOUSE ref.: blackmoneymagazine.blogspot.com
Sarah Breedlove, later known as Madame C. J. Walker, became America's very first African American female millionaire in the early twentieth century. Born December 23, 1867 in Delta, Louisiana to sharecroppers, Sarah Breedlove was brought up in a life of poverty and had little education because she never went to school. At the age of seven, Breedlove was orphaned when both her parents died, leaving her older married sister in Mississippi to raise her. At age fourteen, she married Moses McWilliams to escape the abuse of her brother-in-law. Lelia McWilliams was born June 6, 1885 and just two short years later Sarah McWilliams was left a single mother when her husband died. McWilliams supported herself and her daughter working as a washerwoman for the next eighteen years. She went onto marry another man, Charles J Walker, and later took on the publicity name of Madame C. J. Walker when she began her own cosmetic company. It became highly successful and profitable and turned Walker's life around from a poor little black girl to a charitable millionaire all before the 1920's. Madame Walker died May 25, 1919 in Irvington, New York from natural causes. Even though, Madame C. J. Walker was born into a life of poverty and abuse, she became instrumental in gaining respect for blacks due to her tremendous work ethic and vision, charitable philanthorpy, and founding of a highly successful African-American cosmetic company.
Although, Madame C. J. Walker was orphaned, abused, and uneducated early on in life, she still developed an out-standing work ethic and vision in her to survive and succeed beyond anyone's expectations. Walker was willing to work hard to gain what she wanted, even in the face of adversity. At a NAACP convention she gave this speech, 'I am a woman who came from the cotton fields of the South. I was promoted from there to the washtub. Then, I was promoted to the cook kitchen, and from there I PROMOTED MYSELF into the business of manufacturing hair goods and preparations' I have built my own factory on my own ground.' Her motto was only one-self can help themselves to get where they want to be. 'There is no royal flower-strewn path to success. And if there is, I have not found it for if I have accomplished anything in life it is because I have been willing to work hard.'Madame Walker did not become a millionaire over night or by taking it easy. In her words, 'I got my start by giving myself a start.' To sum up, Madame C. J. Walker set an example for all women nationwide and even international by working hard and not letting adversity and discrimination get in the ways of her achievements; she was truly ahead of her time.
In reply to KaWai:
... and just imagine that she lived in a period were there was not education available , respect and tolerance towards not only black people but also woman .. She deserves a monument to courage , vision and generosity far more than any politician of today ! ..... and I quote :
All in all, Madame C. J. Walker was a head of her time in gaining respect and notoriety for blacks in America because of her tremendous work ethic, charitable philanthropy, and founding of a successful business. “ Walker’s life and legacy encompassed major events and figures in the historic struggle for black advancement in the early part of the twentieth century.” Madame Walker’s method of working hard and doing it yourself proved that she was a woman with a high vision and determination. She believed in taking the road less traveled to find success. The donations and contributions Walker made helped many African-American less fortunate than herself, both socially and financially. She also encouraged women to be financially independent so they could feel free and have some dignity. When, Madame C. J. Walker had a dream, it later transformed her into an well-educated businesswoman and a multi-millionaire, well respected in her community. The company also employed and trained many blacks so they could create jobs and an income for themselves. In spite of Walker’s fame and fortune, she remained down-to-earth because she never forgot the poor, black heritage and past that she came from. “My desire now is to do more than ever for my race…” Madame C. J. Walker became an inspiration to all black woman in her time because she gave them hope and brought dignity and meaning into their lives and now it is time for the generation of the twenty-first century to know her for a great pioneer in the fight for equality among genders and races in America.
In reply to Galileo's Universe:
It all comes down to empowering women and men, not giving handouts, but create opportunities, hope, allow people to help themselves, that's why the micro-finance of giving loans to women in the third world is one of the most powerful solutions in changing lives for millions.
In reply to KaWai:
"It all comes down to empowering women and men, not giving handouts, " .... surely but the most POWERFUL solution is if the leaders of third world countries were to BEHAVE more RESPONSIBLE towards their citizens , use all their nations natural resources to IMPROVE the QUALITY OF LIFE of their citizens , have a bit of DECENCY and DIGNITY by stopping to steal their nations wealth to enrich themselves in order to BATHE IN shameful LUXURY , stop bragging about the WEST 'exploiting' them while at the same time demanding for more money from the WEST to cover their debts and to fund their totally IRRESPONSIBLE and CORRUPT governments... Surely the WEST has a lot of BLAME ... but who else is in charge of those countries NATIONAL REVENUES than the sovereign governments themselves ??? How they chose to use that wealth is not up to the west !... and on that note ... what is the point of showing so much prestige with monuments to their 'GRANDEUR' ...while their population is lacking housing, education, health and human rights ?
After years of frustration at the stifling atmosphere of political correctness surrounding discussions of Africa, long time World Bank official Robert Calderisi speaks out. He boldly reveals how most of Africa's misfortunes are self-imposed, and why the world must now deal differently with the continent.
Here we learn that Africa has steadily lost markets by its own mismanagement, that even capitalist countries are anti-business, that African family values and fatalism are more destructive than tribalism, and that African leaders prey intentionally on Western guilt. Calderisi exposes the shortcomings of foreign aid and debt relief, and proposes his own radical solutions.
Drawing on thirty years of first hand experience, The Trouble with Africa highlights issues which have been ignored by Africa's leaders but have worried ordinary Africans, diplomats, academics, business leaders, aid workers, volunteers, and missionaries for a long time. It ripples with stories which only someone who has talked directly to African farmers--and heads of state--could recount. Calderisi's aim is to move beyond the hand-wringing and finger-pointing which dominates most discussions of Africa. Instead, he suggests concrete steps which Africans and the world can take to liberate talent and enterprise on the continent.
Robert Calderisi studied at the Universities of Montreal, Oxford, Sussex and London. A 1968 Rhodes Scholar, he first visited Africa in November 1975. He has had a thirty-year career in international development, principally at the World Bank, where he held several senior positions. From 1997 to 2000, he was the Bank's international spokesperson on Africa. He has lived in France, the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the US. He is now a consultant and writer, splitting his time between Montreal and Paris.
"This politically-incorrect work is a boisterous, entertaining and highly accessible polemic by a man who, when it comes to development and Africa, has every reason to know his onions. The author challenges the shibboleths of the aid industry with courage, compassion and humour. A timely and bracing read."--Michela Wrong, Author of In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in the Congo.
"At first, this book made my hair stand on end, but then I saw it as the heartfelt cry of a lover of Africa who has devoted his best years to the continent. His analysis is disturbing and non-conformist, but I agree with his suggestions. He was not born one, but he is nonetheless a great 'African'."--Martin Zigu??l??, Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (2001-2003) and runner-up in the March-April 2005 presidential elections.
"The Trouble with Africa is a blast of fresh air over a continent that has for decades been suffocating under a blanket of well meant concern, ineffectual at best, and harmful at worst."--Michael Holman, former Africa editor, Financial Times
"This is a hard-hitting, brutally honest personal essay about Africa. It is gripping, well-researched and fascinating. Corrupt and incompetent African government officials will fret over this but it is the bitter truth the African people would want told to the world."--George B.N. Ayittey, Ph.D., Distinguished Economist at American University and President of The Free Africa Foundation, Washington, D.C.
"This is a timely, intriguing and provocative book. The author's love of the continent shines through every line, yet his bold suggestions will raise some eyebrows and provoke debate (as they should). The book ripples with good stories, mixes passion and reason, and is very often simply touching."--Baroness Lynda Chalker, former Minister of Overseas Development for the United Kingdom
:
The New Development Economics
21st Century Technologies: Promises and Perils of a Dynamic Future
In reply to Galileo's Universe:
That's why micro financing is so affective because it goes directly to the needed and not through the gov't. To give those who want to be helped access to self empowering. Average people in Africa and other third world or developing nations could apply for the loan, so far I had learned that they only provide loans to women, because they are considered the most trustworthy in repaying the loan. And the initial amount of loan is only $50. So far this is working beautifully, and lives are being changed.
There will be greedy gov't institution always, but the solution is how to get around some of it, when you can't do anything to change the current gov't. I think Micro financing is brilliant.
In reply to KaWai:
True ...... and yet NOT ! ... unfortunately CORRUPTION seems to be indeed the WORLD biggest problem .... even when it comes to such a great idea called MICROCREDIT !
MICROCREDIT IN INDIA : Will It Last?
Submitted by Ethan Arpi on August 21, 2006
WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE - ACUMEN FUND
Two weeks ago on these pages Rob Katz blogged about an opinion piece in the New York Times, which discussed India’s brewing controversy over microcredit. Last week, The Economist followed suit, writing its own opinion of the controversy, which, I must confess, is a lot rosier. Here are some excerpts:
The dispute centres on one poor rural district, Krishna. Some women were reported to have killed themselves because they could not repay the MFIs. In March a top government official in Krishna temporarily shut 50 branch offices of four MFIs, seized and destroyed their records and told their borrowers not to repay their loans. He accused the microfinance groups of charging exorbitant rates.
Microcredit in India, although generally a good thing, has its faults:
There had been abuses. Viswanatha Prasad of Bellwether, a fund that finances microcredit-providers, blames “indiscriminate expansion” (see chart). The MFIs were flush with money, partly because commercial banks saw them as a good vehicle for lending to rural areas. Some microcredit lenders were charging interest rates on the full amount of a loan, rather than the declining balance, and some borrowers were bullied and humiliated. Aggressive competition and a failure to share information meant some people were in hock to numerous lenders. That is what seems to have led to the suicides.
Beneath the surface, the current dispute is really a turf war between the government and the private sector:
The root of the dispute, he says, is competition between non-governmental MFIs and a subsidised microcredit scheme, financed by the state and central governments and the World Bank. According to the bank, some 30% of SHARE's clients overlap with government-supported “self-help groups”. Mathew Titus, of Sa-Dhan, an association of Indian microcredit institutions, sees the row as a “battle of ideas”—between the non-government sector and those ideologically opposed to its working with the poor.
There is hope:
Bellwether's Mr Prasad thinks the scandal could even have some positive consequences. The microcredit groups will have to stamp out abuses, adhere to a code of conduct and recognise that they cannot ignore the government. For its part, the government will have to realise that the MFIs are a force to be reckoned with, and that their mission is not necessarily to exploit the poor.
What about those money lenders?
It is not as if too much credit is available. There should be room for both private lenders and subsidised schemes for the very poor. There may even be room for the despised moneylenders, whose local knowledge and extensive business mean they cannot be ignored either. According to one survey, 30% of MFI clients in Krishna took loans from moneylenders. Nationwide, moneylenders are estimated to account for about one-third of the debt owed by rural households. The Reserve Bank is reviewing the laws on moneylending. One option is for banks to lend to registered moneylenders, using them as intermediaries. Priya Basu of the World Bank, an expert on India's rural credit market, thinks the idea makes sense “if they can co-opt moneylenders into the formal system”.
Corruptions stem from human greed, that can't eradicate completely, but in the meantime, poor people are suffering, there has got to be solutions to solve immediate problems. I don't expect micro financing to be a perfect system, as there's no perfect system, ever, but it's a groundbreaking idea that needs to be supported.