Split Ends

Madam CJ Walker's products catered to black people and most if not all of the clientele that used her products were black. An industry was created for blacks by blacks with all the necessary leg work laid to put people of color in position of economic power for future generations.

Walker's entrepreneurial spirit and prowess led to her opening a factory in Pittsburgh as well as training other young women of color how to treat and care for black hair and more importantly, lessons on owning their own business.

Fast forward to the 21^st century, currently the hair care industry is a multi-billion dollar business. Black people spend an estimated $7.5 billion of the money generated annually. Black women spend upwards of $30 million dollars on wigs alone. This is money that is produced long before you begin the conversation about perms, clippers, colors or even weaves. Despite the money being shelled out, blacks own a substantially small percentage of the warehouses and suppliers that distribute products. I ask the question "where did it all go wrong?" Or better yet, why is it that black people do not own a larger portion of an industry they created?

After the Korean War, The U.S. government implemented legislature that stopped wigs and other hair care products from being imported from China. This solely resulted in South Korea gaining a spot in the black hair care industry with the help of the U.S. backing them. A spot they have refused to relinquish ever since. For example, there are an estimated 6,000 Korean beauty suppliers from coast to coast in the U.S. They rarely allow blacks to distribute through their hubs.

A degree in American Beauty Industry is offered at universities in Korea but not offered in the U.S. where the beauty industry is king. Koreans are training their Korean counterparts to setup beauty suppliers and cater to black women, but unless you speak Korean, you can not participate in the classes being offered.  Why are black people on the outside looking in on an industry that they spend the most money annually? I spoke briefly with a 17 year veteran of the hair care industry.

Andre "The Hair Hustler" McCoy, a native of Detroit whose resume includes working as a stylist on The Steve Harvey Show, Soul Train, as well as 106^th and Park offers a perfect explanation. "Koreans possess something that black people do not; the ability to unite. Black stylists are making decent incomes across the board but on a grand scale, we are a minor player in the hair game. We seem to be satisfied with giving money to people who don't have our best interest at heart. If black women stopped patronizing Korean businesses, they would have to shut down their operations the next day."

 The irony in this is that Koreans setup shop in black communities. It is as if they are thumbing their noses at the fact that blacks have no economic savvy or unity when it comes to spending money.  Or maybe they buy into the myth that you can't do business with black people.

 It is obvious that black people have forgotten a very simple rule in economics; there is power in numbers. L'Oreal's multi million dollar 60,000 sq ft facilities on Chicago's south side suggest that black people may be the only ones sleeping on this cash cow. How can black people continue to spend billions in an industry and not reap some of the rewards?

It is also obvious that extending a bad weave is more important than extending resources to their own communities. They have turned their backs on an empire they created. The irony in this is, black people not only spend the money that supports an industry that they are not apart of, they are also lending a helping hand in the research of the products that are sold back to them without acquiring any of the benefits.

When Madam CJ Walker began making products for women of color a hundred years ago, who knew that she was laying the foundation for a multi-billion dollar machine that continues to grow year in and year out? From the cotton fields, to a kitchen cook on to a philanthropist and social activist, she toiled effortlessly at training young black women the importance of ownership. Her hard work has truly paid off. Unfortunately, the people she created the industry for are not the ones enjoying the fruits of her labor.