Sarah Breedlove (Delta,1867 – Irvington, 1919) Also known as C. J. Walker, she was a self-taught chemist. Her parents and older siblings were enslaved on a plantation. She learned chemistry in her own kitchen and discovered a system to straighten her curly hair and created a successful mail order catalogue, creating her own cosmetics empire. She also trained other women to become entrepreneurs, helping them overcome the numerous gender and racial barriers of the time. She is considered the first African-American woman to become a self-made millionaire.