Madam C. J. Walker (1867-1919) was “the first Black woman millionaire in America” and made her fortune thanks to her homemade line of hair care products for Black women. Born Sarah Breedlove to parents who had been enslaved, she was inspired to create her hair products after an experience with hair loss, which led to the creation of the “Walker system” of hair care.

A black feminist perspective has no use for ranking oppressions, but instead demonstrates the simultaneity of oppressions as they affect Third World women’s lives

The one thing I've learned, getting out to all those foreign and domestic locales, is that people in every country of the 'civilized' world wish - either secretly or openly - that they had the expressiveness, the flair, the I'm-so-glad-to-be-me spirit that black folks have made a part of American life.

My mother is Irish, my father is black and Venezuelan, and me - I'm tan, I guess.

I personally pledge myself to openly counsel, aid, and abet youth, both black and white, to quarantine any Jim Crow conscription system.

I don't ever remember a single day of hopelessness. I knew from the history of the labor movement, especially of the black people, that it was an undertaking of great trial. That, live or die, I had to stick with it, and we had to win.

I have just one black and white photograph left of my mother when she was younger. She was 17 when it was taken and beautiful with wispy curls and eyes that shone like dark marbles.

The Earth reminded us of a Christmas tree ornament hanging in the blackness of space. As we got farther and farther away it diminished in size. Finally it shrank to the size of a marble the most beautiful marble you can imagine.

A lot of sequins for New Year's! Red green white - I fail at all of that because I'm always in black. But for Christmas I do love wearing cute dresses with tights and a pair of boots.

Black Friday is not another bad hair day in Wall Street. It's the term used by American retailers to describe the day after the Thanksgiving Holiday seen as the semi-official start of Christmas shopping season.

Another Black Label motto. That's what I think life is. It's just another bridge to cross. You ask no questions. Whatever work it is you gotta do you gotta go over it under it through it around it to do it.

Racism in the first place is a weapon used by the wealthy to increase the profits they bring in by paying Black workers less for their work.

I'm so disturbed when my women students behave as though they can only read women or black students behave as though they can only read blacks or white students behave as though they can only identify with a white writer.

I merged those two words black and feminist because I was surrounded by black women who were very tough and and who always assumed they had to work and rear children and manage homes.

In discussions around the hiring and firing of Black faculty at universities the charge is frequently heard that Black women are more easily hired than are Black men.

No other group in America has so had their identity socialized out of existence as have black women... When black people are talked about the focus tends to be on black men and when women are talked about the focus tends to be on white women.

Black women sharing close ties with each other politically or emotionally are not the enemies of Black men.

I go out with white women. This makes a lot of people unhappy mostly black women.

Black women don't have the same body image problems as white women. They are proud of their bodies.

In my work and in myself I reflect black people women and men as I reflect others. One day even the most self-protective ones will look into the mirror I provide and not be afraid.

I just like to have words that describe things correctly. Now to me 'black feminist' does not do that. I need a word that is organic that really comes out of the culture that really expresses the spirit that we see in black women. And it's just... womanish.

It's so clear that you have to cherish everyone. I think that's what I get from these older black women that every soul is to be cherished that every flower Is to bloom.

Black women have always been these vixens these animalistic erotic women. Why can't we just be the sexy American girl next door?

We have to consciously study how to be tender with each other until it becomes a habit because what was native has been stolen from us the love of Black women for each other.