Madam C. J. Walker's Gospel of Giving: Black Women's Philanthropy during Jim Crow (New Black Studies Series)

A book club reading and discussion.

Great informative read!

Madame Walker knows who she is and embraces her own philanthropy. Tyrone writes very well and helps this important history come to life. I especially appreciated Madame Walker's interactions with W.E.B Du Bois.

You may have seen the inspiring and powerful story of Madam C. J. Walker on Netflix. The series depicts her journey from being born to freed slaves to becoming the first woman, and first African American self-made millionaire.This book digs deeper than the show and presents an in-depth look at her “Gospel of Giving”, “Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow”.Generosity brings hope, both to the giver and the receiver and this is the lesson of Madam C. J. Walker. She was greatly influenced by her AME church family, particularly the women’s groups, to begin sharing in her early years, with small gifts. She continued to give throughout her life, through her beauty business by training, educating, employing and empowering black women at a time when it was difficult for African American women to find employment. She also gave monetary gifts to the NAACP, anti-lynching programs, schools, the first black YMCA and many other institutions.Giving brought joy to Madam C. J. Walker. So did the opportunity to be a “race lifter”, by reinforcing black potential and leadership. A lowly washer woman, she achieved worldly success, while always following her “gospel of giving”.I found this book to be interesting and I learned a great deal. The book is presented as scholarly research, which is important. We can learn about the horrors of Jim Crow, the development of African American business and philanthropy by looking at the life of Madam C. J. Walker.Thanks to NetGalley and University of Illinois Press for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

The Netflix mini-series on Walker' and her beauty line brought attention to this amazing life, but the series only touched the tip of the iceberg. Walker deserves to be placed alongside other greats, like Booker T. Washington, in the history books.Against all odds, this migrant woman, with no prospects, built a beauty empire, but her philanthropy went to great extents beyond this. Her products and her clubs brought self-esteem to a down-trodden race. Her contributions to black colleges and to civil rights loom large.Walker gave before she was wealthy, though. Her philosophy was always helping those in need, in any way that she could. Her dream of a Tuskegee in South Africa was finally brought about in another form by Oprah Winfrey, another woman of Walker's philosophy.This work shows Walker's life against the backdrop of history. A great reference work! Kudos to Freeman.

Madam C. J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving is an academic study of her philanthropy, thoroughly documenting the origins of her philosophy of giving and grounded in history. It is the story of all Black women and their generosity in the aftermath of slavery beginning with Madam Walker's fellow washerwomen. In past philanthropic studies, Madam Walker's contributions were dismissed, but Freeman documents that as her wealth grew, Madam CJ Walker gave to the first Black YMCA, the NAACP, anti-lynching programs, schools, etc. He also corrects the record showing that many black women were philanthropists. And Black women gave even when they had little.This kind of scholarship is overdue and Freeman's ten years of writing and research is well-spent correcting the record on Black giving. Looking forward to more from him and others.Thanks to NetGalley and the University of Illinois Press for an ARC of this book

I liked this book on Madame CJ Walker. I also watched the Netflix movie about her life as well and it showed a lot of her philanthropy, as well. But this book showed more of her Christian life and why she wanted to help others and especially her race and African American women. During Jim Crow days, the African American struggled in a way they should never have had to. They were freed by our Republic because they should have never been, in this nation, bound in the first place. Thank God He finally made a way for us to fight along with them for their freedom. But when Abraham Lincoln was killed it caused the nation to have no leadership to carry Reconstruction of our nation, through. And so, it lead to Jim Crow days. And this book talks of how Madame CJ Walker worked through those days and brought about her own company of hair care products. And through this company she helped many women of her race by hiring them to work for her and teaching them how to use the products and how to sell them, thus helping them to own a small business of their own. She had many charities she donated to. She wanted to help her race to get ahead in these troubling times for them. She based her charity on her Christian Bible and Christian values. Very well referenced by the author.

A very well researched and well written book into the life of Madam C. J. Walker. It is also very detailed and gives a lot of information and the author did an amazing job with the entire book. I think the book will move you into wanting to be more giving to others and hopefully inspire people to want to do more.I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.