One thing I learned about dreams:
they do come true.
But my aspirations don't stop at these doors.
You see, I want you all to be just like me:
independent, self-sufficient women with their own businesses.
Madam C.J. Walker will make sure all your dreams come true.
My favorite part about playing Madam C.J.
is the fact that I am playing Madam C.J.
Whenever I consider adapting a real-life person's story,
the first question that I ask is, "What is the message of that person's life?"
She is the first self-made millionaire in the United States of America
that is a woman.
And then we add on that she black.
Were it not for Madam, we wouldn't have the beauty culture within our culture.
There were no products, beauty products, sundries,
made for black women.
She created that market.
Give me three words that sum up
the magnitude of your great-great-grandmother's legacy.
Empowerment, determination, and love.
Now, having said that...
it is impossible to sum her up in three words.
Growing up, you hear about Madam C.J. Walker
and you hear about what she did for women and for black people,
and the idea of bringing this iconic woman to life was a dream come true.
We're in a period of time now
where people are really ready to hear different kinds of stories,
and Madam C.J. is one of those stories that when you hear
everything that she accomplished, you can't quite believe it.
That's one hell of a story.
Give me one tin.
There's a lot of hope, especially for girls who can look and say,
"That's a role model, that's an inspiration."
No matter what faced her, she always believed in herself.
She was taking her life into her own hands,
trying to have some sort of power,
because during those days, women, we didn't have no power.
And the fact that she is known as Mrs. C.J. Walker, Madam C.J. Walker,
that's just a sign of the times, you know, that she had to be known
in relationship to this man.
But she didn't just get into this to make a buck for herself.
Her mandate and mission were so much bigger than that.
She really wanted to improve the lives of all black women.
I'm excited that more people in this younger generation will know her.
Hair can be freedom or bondage.
If you look respectable, we all look respectable.
Everything we do as Negroes reflects back on us.
So if I can help one person, I'm lifting us all up!
Amen!
As African-America people, we have resilience
and we've shown resilience throughout this country,
throughout the history of this country.
And this woman embodies it as much, or more, than anyone.
I can't be a washerwoman for the rest of my life.
There's three million Negro women in America.
If I can get them all to buy just one jar of Hair Grower, I'll be a millionaire.
I love the opportunity to just bring another side of black culture
to the screen that I don't think has really been honored.
It's the first generation after slavery, and that meant that, for the first time,
you have a generation of black people in this country
who have to really figure out what it means to be in this country.
I don't take orders no more.
Lincoln freed me 40 years back.
That's why I'm gonna pay you.
And that's why you're my favorite daughter-in-law.
You see the grace and the glory of a group of people
that now there's a sense of pride that there's a future ahead for them.
It's my duty to make money and use it for the benefit of my neighbors.
Well, anytime you tell a story about the past,
you're really making commentary on what's going on now,
which is what makes the story of Madam C.J. a timeless one.
It is so important for us to know that we have had ancestors
who had dignity, who had pride,
who were dreaming about the accomplishments
that we would be making.
She's an example of how we all should live.
We shouldn't just think about ourselves, we should think about
all of the people around us.
And if there's a voice out there that we can help elevate,
then we have a responsibility to do that.
We need to look towards these women who have gone before us
and have really paved the way.
Look at your wives.
They are wasting their talents in the back!
Help me give them opportunities that will benefit your whole family.
And it's really not just about women either.
It's about any person, men or women, that have a goal to better their lives,
better their children's lives, and decide, "Okay,
this is what I'm gonna do," and then get it done.
Whenever you can hitch a wagon to a true story of someone who overcame,
and persevered, and succeeded, and reached just unimaginable success,
it inspires us all.
As audience members, it empowers us all.