(February 17, 2025) – Every now and then, I am reminded of the Mother of the Black Hair Care industry. Why? Because people often associate the industry with Madam C. J. Walker (no slight intended), I am compelled to remind folks who actually mentored Walker. I think it is important to help people see the bigger picture. We are easily attracted to millionaires and billionaires. Of course! I think it is essential, however, to give credit where credit is due.
Meet today’s champion of courage: Annie Turnbo Malone (August 9, 1877 – May 10, 1957). She was one phenomenal Black woman I think every sista on the planet should know about …
By the end of World War I in 1918, Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone had become a millionaire and one of the most successful Black women of her time. She founded Poro Products and was known for her generosity, supporting numerous African American organizations and charities, including the St. Louis Colored Orphans Home.
Born to Robert Turnbo, a former slave and Union Army veteran, and Isabella Turnbo, also a former slave, Annie was the tenth of eleven children. After losing her parents at a young age, she was raised by an older sister. Despite developing an interest in chemistry in school, she had to withdraw due to illness. Undeterred, she and her sister began experimenting with homemade hair and cosmetic products.
During the 1890s, African American women sought methods to straighten their hair, often using harsh chemicals that caused significant damage. Malone sought to develop products that promoted healthy hair and scalp care. Some sources credit her with inventing and patenting the pressing comb and iron. She initially marketed her products under the “Wonderful Hair Grower” brand before renaming her company Poro, derived from a West African term meaning “devotional society.”
Malone moved her company headquarters to St. Louis and expanded her business nationally and internationally. However, because she did not copyright her formulas, Madam C.J. Walker, one of her representatives, was able to develop a competing product line, leading to rivalry. Despite this, Malone built a business empire worth an estimated $14 million at its peak. Financial difficulties later reduced her fortune to around $100,000, but her influence remained substantial.
In 1918, she founded Poro College, a premier cosmetology school that, by 1930, had over 75,000 representatives worldwide. She was a dedicated philanthropist, donating generously to African American organizations and historically Black colleges, including Howard University.
Malone’s pioneering entrepreneur and philanthropist legacy endures, inspiring future generations. Her contributions to the African American beauty industry and charitable efforts testify to her vision and resilience.
Malone continued to operate her business despite challenges, including a contentious divorce in 1927 that led to a $200,000 settlement and financial struggles following the 1929 stock market crash. By the mid-1950s, she maintained 32 branches of the Poro school across the country. She remained committed to supporting charities, particularly in St. Louis, until her passing in Chicago on May 10, 1957.
Malone’s legacy has often been overshadowed by Madam C.J. Walker’s success, but she is now being recognized as the true pioneer of the African American beauty and cosmetics industry. Her philanthropic work continues through the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center in St. Louis, formerly the St. Louis Colored Orphans Home, which was renamed in her honor in 1946. Additionally, Annie Malone Drive is a tribute to her lasting impact on the community.
