More than a hundred years after Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Malone built their beauty companies, their descendants are meeting in Peoria.
A'Lelia Bundles, descendant of Walker, and James Agbara Bryson, descendant of Malone, are taking part in a lecture series this weekend at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. They’re talking about the legacy both women have had on the beauty industry, and the complicated relationship they had as business rivals.
Bundles is the author of a book on Walker’s life, which inspired a Netflix series titled Self-Made. The series featured depictions of Walker and Malone which Bundles said are inaccurate.
“I was really bothered by the way the relationship between Madame Walker and Annie Malone was portrayed, I thought they really took literary license that distorted her,” she said. “And that really did not get to the key part of both of these women being important, powerful figures who empowered other women. For me, that is the story.”
Bryson said the series got people interested in the two figures, but the exaggeration of their rivalry meant people weren’t getting the full story.
“These two women, not only were they millionaires, but they believe in self and community empowerment, and we really need that today,” Bryson said. “So those are important components I think that these women really had in common.”
Bryson donated his personal artifacts to the “Life and Legacy of Annie Malone” exhibit currently on display at the museum.
He said he had seen boxes with the artifacts growing up, but never knew Malone’s story until after his grandparents passed away. He said that’s when he started going through the artifacts and learning who Malone was.
“It's like experiencing a spiritual journey,” Bryson said. “Getting to know who Annie Malone was, the more letters and things that I read, and pictures that I look at, I can tell you that Annie Malone was a very loving person.”
Malone, a one-time Peoria resident, started her beauty company in the early 1900’s. She sold products specifically for Black women. By the 1920’s, she was a multi-millionaire.
Walker was an employee of Malone’s. She started her own business in 1905, but was accused of stealing a formula from Malone. Walker’s company took off in the 1911’s and she soon started helping other Black women learn how to budget and grow their own businesses.
Bundles said both women’s legacy in the beauty industry is evident today. She cited a hair-care brand by Beyoncé and Rhianna’s makeup line as examples.
“But it's not just the celebrities, there are people who are still mixing up formulas on their stoves,” she said. “And it really does create opportunity, financial opportunity and independence for women of color. So that is a great legacy that both women can share.”
Bryson said their stories can still inspire people today.
“One of the first Black female millionaires in a time of segregation and a time of real trials and Spanish flu, being able to overcome those obstacles being a woman, being black and not having access and resources, put together that formula, put together that vision,” he said. “Anyone can be the next Annie Malone or Madame C.J. Walker, if you have the right stuff and believe in yourself.”
Bundles said she encourages people to learn the real history behind both figures.
“Both women were really giants,” she said. “They were pioneers of the modern hair care industry, which is a multi-billion dollar multinational business. And while they were rivals, I think they both grew from that competition. And the result is that they empowered thousands of women.”
The lecture series begins Friday night at the Peoria Riverfront Museum and continues with a second event Saturday.
