3 Variations about Madam C.

J Walker Netflix series 

 
100 years later, the powerful lifestory of Madam C.J. Walker, will no longer remain 
silent. You can watch a rewriting of her story on Netflix. Where are the emphasis ? 
Where are the silences ? 
 
This is a cultural blessing to find a room for untold African American stories on 
Netflix.  
However, we still need to question these works because they are cultural 
constructions. 
Let’s talk about the individualistic philosophy of being self-made in America against 
the power of community building, or the misinterpretation of black feminism as the 
fact of being both a woman AND African American, sprinkled with LGBTQ+ and 
colourism toppings that are not fact checked historically. 
These ingredients are all part of an artistic and political strategy to let us be more 
comfortable with the narrative presented. Even if the accurate story does not really 
match with such actualizations.  
This limited series is an appealing invitation to overstep its content and express some 
cultural, historical and political variations on it. 
As an African and Caribbean being, that has not been born and raised in the US, one 
question remains existential to me : ​ ​Should we expand Netflix’ power to rewriting 
untold stories that have not yet been revealed amongst concerned communities ?  
 

 
¨Portraits Madam C.J. Walker. Michael ORCHS Archives 

Madam C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, came from an African American descent in 
the American Deep South. She grew up amongst cotton fields a few years after the end 
of the Civil War and the publication of the 13th Amendment, the one that punishes 
slavery and every form of servitude in the US Constitution.  
 
From this legacy, she went far, while building up a cultural, spatial and financial empire.  
Sarah Breedlove, spouse C.J Walker, created and marketed hair care product for 
African-American women branded in her M ​ adam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company​.  
This business was a boulevard to raise a lot of $$$$. The benefits were intensively 
redistributed through advocacy against lynching laws, philanthropy for underprivileged 
communities and employment of African-American woman.  
 
Superstars Lebron James and Maverick Carter followed Madam C.J. Walker’s vision on 
wealth redistribution for community matters.  
They stand as executive producers and starred oscar-winner actress Octavia Spencer as 
the leading figure to portrait the entrepreneur. The soundtrack is a masterpiece on its 
own, featuring talented female artists such as Little Simz, Andreya Triana or Raiche. 
The efforts to rewrite and translate this story onto a Netflix limited series were directed 
by Demane Davis in close connection with A’Lealia Bundles, author of B ​ ased on her own 
ground”​ .  
This book, written by the great great granddaughters of Madam C.J Walker, was the first 
cultural production to enlighten this narrative.  
This is all about successful African American businesses, systemic struggles and 
wealth redistribution through communities ; and how we reinterpret them today to fit 
in a Netflix series format for a worldwide audience.  
 
Madam C.J. Walker advertising. Ultimate brand marketing : “learn first to be proud of our 
heritage of wealth and beauty.” 
Source :​ Black history album, the way we were. 

 
 
Variations 1 . What is your agenda ? Inner-community violence as the visible, 
self-healing as the invisible. 
Most of the emphasis is put on well-known topics such as colorism and gender.  
This choice of artistic direction is resumed in one sentence : “ there is no more time for 
that” clearly stands Madam C.J. Walker.  
Putting colourism as a major thematic got some weaknesses. 
First of all, historically this is not verified if the main opponent of Madam C.J. Walker was 
light-skin and/or biracial.  
Second of all : considering all the intersections this entrepreneur has to face in her 
lifetime, should we really consider colourism as the more meaningful roadblock she 
encountered ? And by extension, should we keep this same thematic as the core of 
inner-community struggles we need to get rid of ? 
Colourism is, for sure, an issue. But I will not prioritize the faces of the devil and keep my 
focus on intersectional and systemic issues. 
 
Moreover, this narrow direction hides other forms of invisible scars, such as mental 
health.  
Even if the story doesn’t say a lot about it, Madam C.J. Walker, that crossed so many 
lines in terms of gender, race and class had to develop self-preservation tools.  
Mental health is only addressed indirectly at the end of the show, as a trigger of physical 
disease, as a sign of the urge to “slow down”.  
But Madam C.J. Walker Did a lot, travelled a lot. She went from the cotton field in the 
bloody South to Rockefeller's neighborhood in one lifetime, as a Black woman.  
Here, there is a crucial lack, that would have deepened the character and offered us 
some alarms to plug in our minds in terms of mental health and self-preservation. 
If black women have enough visibility today to address debates amongst black 
communities such as colourism and gender on Netflix, why does it remain so difficult 
to address self-healing as an individual and collective path ?  
 

Madam C.J. Walker’s Villa Lewaro. Designed by Vertner Tandy, the first
licensed Black architect in New York State. The space will now serve as the
site of an innovative institute for entrepreneur women of color.
Source : ​National Trust for historic preservation
Crédit: A’Lelia Bundles/Madam Walker Family Archives. 
 
Variations 2. Madam C.J. Walker as a figure of Black feminism 
Feminism is addressed through multiples aspects :domestic violence, women 
employment, women conditions of living, women empowerment, women community, 
women financial solidarity, women and their husband, women and their capacity to put 
money on the table, women and their capacity to take care and give attention of / to 
their husband and so on. 
I cannot help myself but ask “ was Madam C.J. Walker feminist in this sense or is it a 
reinterpretation of the Direction due to our contemporary context”  
I don’t know the agenda of this individual. She was composite. And every interests 
composing her s​ elf​were not permanently aligned. The entrepreneur had to face 
compromise. But, the show enlightens the clear cut unapologetic position. And no 
compromise at all.   
 
Because I understand this cultural content with my own referentials, I see the will to 
depict a successful Black woman. May you react if needed : b ​ eing black and a woman 
doesn’t create b​ y itself a
​ Black feminist approach.  
As I understand it, this is something more related to the transformative power one will try 
to put in one society.  
In the show the community is considered as either a staff member or a potential 
consumer. the focus is so centered on one person, that we forget the whole 
community going with it. This perception has some limits to transform society and 
communities as a whole.  
 

 
Walker and her company employed nearly 20,000 thousand women in key
management positions and as sales agents for hair care products diffusion in
America and the Caribbean. Source ​MESSY NESSY  
 
Variations 3. Creating a Netflix series : finding a way between ​a one career focus​and 
producing d ​ e-contextualized​history. 
 
The series finds its ground on focusing on a s​ elf-made woman​character.  
This implies a refreshing and inspiring voice for the black woman entrepreneur depicted. 
This also implies to focus on Madam C.J. Walker with a very few people surrounding her 
except from her inner circles.  
Here again, we don’t know if this was a need to develop content respecting the frames 
or if this is a reflect of Madam C.J. Walker effective life. 
 
In the show, the entrepreneur met 3 extra people that got in common to be both men 
and cultural milestones of contemporary America : Booker T. Washington, W.E.B Du Bois, 
Rockefeller. 
And, the series finds space to enlighten the frontier between Washington and Du bois.  
It is certain that Washington and Du Bois were not relying on the same tools to liberate 
the s​ oul of black folks​ . Washington’s position towards white powerful communities bears 
something perceived as complacent. While Du Bois is still considered as a leading figure 
claiming for liberation with less classism and sexism than his counterpart.  
Without feeding this clash, we can pinpoint this development is partial and gives 
advantage to the figure and agendas of Dubois.  
Last but not least, this clash actually hides a third counterpart of the story : Marcus 
Garvey. Madam C.J. Walker p ​ layed a key role for black internationalist movement 
committed to ending racism, colonialism, and imperialism​. She repeatedly and directly 
supported Marcus Garvey movements. The Netflix production puts both Garvey’s 
agenda and the support of Madam C.J. Walker on that matter to silence. 
 
The direction of the show strengthens interpersonal struggles rather than going beyond 
it and gives back voice to all community members structuring leaders approaches. 
Producing partial content one century afterwards put the power on individual 
figures rather than on the capacity of community organizing.  
If now we have time and Netflix catalogue to write something new, why don’t we 
present forms of resistance beyond interpersonal struggles and individual leaders 
figures ? 
 
  
Daughters of the lineage​, A’Lelia Walker and A’lelia Bundles.  

The I, hereby speaking is the I of Isabelle N’diaye. 

I identify as a woman, that got both Caribbean and African blood nurturing my veins. 

I have been raised between several cities between France and Senegal.  

In 2020, my body is based in Brussels. 

My perspective is a dense mixture crossings urban studies, black feminism and 

community organizing processes.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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