Annie Turnbo Malone 1869-1957
Annie Malone stood in alone in court. Her fortune had risen to $14 million and she now stands to lose it all. Or at least half. Here Annie stood, rich, black and female in front of a white male judge and there was no telling how much her heroic wealth, she had spent a life time accumulating, would be left after the court hearing.
It all began August 9th 1869 when Annie was born. The America she was born into was very different than the ones her parents had. She was one of 11 children born to former slaves Robert and Isabella, on a farm in Metropolis Illinois.
After the young Annie’s parents died the orphan had developed a fascination with hair. Having braided so many heads of hair the budding scientist became very aware of the different textures of hair. Women wanted to be able to style their hair in a range styles that nature restricted. Annie armed with chemicals and innovation would provide them with the means to do so.
Annie used combinations soap, heavy intense oils and goose fat for example to straighten out hair. Results were unpredictable. The young entrepreneur continued developing different combinations and techniques to improve her product. Her persistence paid off. So reliable was the product it blossomed allowing Annie to create her a business. The product was innovative enough for her to patent the invention in 1900.
Annie recognised she had create something special and she had to find a way to the product into mainstream black America. A strategic move to the town of Lovejoy (now called Brooklyn) an all black town. It was there she produced her newly formulated product called the “Wonderful Hair Grower”. But soon enough she was on the move again.
Everywhere she went demand was strong. The following year she embarked on a whistle stop sales tour the deep south extolling the virtues of “Poro” products as she called it. Poro’s sales grew benefitting from Annie’s grasp of modern marketing. By 1910 she had the country covered with thousands of women in every corner of the country, promoting the Poro’s brand and products.
Annie funded the building of Poro College 1918. It housed the manufacturing operation, labs, retail facility. Most important it was a training centre for poor African American women in search of a way out of destitution. But it was so much more than a business move. It was Social Entrepreneurship. The exspansive and lavish college was a $1 million dollar complex and featured a Poro girls ochreastre enertaing vistors to the roof garden, restaurants, and theatre. Annie’s husband Mr Malone was well connected and able to garner support for the undertaking.
After a 6 years struggle to take over the business Mr Malone sat on the other side of the court as the complainant. Malone argued it was his political contacts that led to the acceleration of the business after their marriage and now he wanted a divorce and furthermore half the business. It was the beginning of the end of the Poro empire.
Before her death in 1957 she donated so much money to African American charitable organisations she was reputed to be among it greatest ever donators. Annie Turnbo was indeed among the first self-made female millionaire in American history. But her legacy has been undermined by the fact that she died owning only a fraction the immense wealth she had once amassed.
By Ron Shabazz Shillingford
Author of : The History of the World’s Greatest Entrepreneurs
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