A'Lelia Walker: A Study
A'Lelia Walker was one of the most interesting figures of the Harlem Renaissance. As a young heiress to a substantial fortune from her mother and first successful Negro entrepreneur, A'Lelia Walker set the stage where all the important figures of the Harlem Renaissance came to play. Walker used her fortune to entertain lavishly during the Harlem Renaissance, and became one of its most beloved and well-known insiders. In more ways than one, she became the bright little center that the rest of the art and literary world crowded around. Walker's circle of friends included poet Langston Hughes, writer Countee Cullen, and music critic, photographer and novelist Carl Van Vechten. She was pivotal in getting black artists and writers "noticed" by the right people, even though she was not one of them.Walker was born Lelia McWilliams on June 6, 1885, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, daughter of Sarah Breedlove and Moses McWilliams. Sarah worked as a washerwoman and raised Lelia alone after McWilliams disappeared. Lelia was no more than eighteen when her mother remarried and changed her name to Madam C. J. Walker. She founded a line of hair-care products in St. Louis, Missouri, apparently inspired by a dream in which a large black man
She then embarked upon a very indulgent and thrilling lifestyle that so many wealthy people similarly enjoyed during that time. She served the white members chitterlings and bathtub gin, while blacks enjoyed champagne and caviar. In 1912 Lelia adopted a daughter, Mae. In 1914 Madam Walker became one of the first African Americans to own property in Harlem. In retrospect A'Lelia Walker, aside from being the most important hostess of the 1920s she otherwise was overly pampered by her mother. " She accredited this skill to her cunning ability to summarize information by reading only the headlines of newspapers. They also had international flavor- they were filled with guests that would turn any Nordic social climber green with envy. Being the honorable hostess, she sent her best regards to the Prince and had refreshments sent to his car. She broke down the barriers of race between the elite whites and the talented tenth of the Negro Community, and that in itself is an achievement that is truly worthy of praise. Although she had some sense for interior design and a reasonable amount of tact in the business world, A'Lelia lacked the sensibilities that her mother had. A'Lelia considered this event one of the biggest advertisements the business has ever had, aside from the Villa Lewaro, and it was considered the most extravagant and wonderful wedding of the Harlem Renaissance. She returned to America with a new attitude and was bound and determined to follow in her mother's footsteps. She set the stage for where all the important members of the Harlem Renaissance came to play. Her business could not get back on its feet, and the stress in her life grew and grew, though she still sought solace in entertaining lavishly and indulging excessively.
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Acceptance Essays
