BLACK FORTUNES

“By telling the little-known stories of six pioneering African American entrepreneurs Black Fortunes makes a worthy contribution to black history to business history and to American history.”—Margot Lee Shetterly New York Times Bestselling author of Hidden FiguresBetween the years of 1830 and 1927 as the last generation of blacks born into slavery was reaching maturity a small group of industrious tenacious and daring men and women broke new ground to attain the highest levels of financial success.Mary Ellen Pleasant used her Gold Rush wealth to further the cause of abolitionist John Brown. Robert Reed Church became the largest landowner in Tennessee. Hannah Elias the mistress of a New York City millionaire used the land her lover gave her to build an empire in Harlem. Orphan and self-taught chemist Annie Turnbo-Malone developed the first national brand of hair care products. Mississippi school teacher O. W. Gurley developed a piece of Tulsa Oklahoma into a “town” for wealthy black professionals and craftsmen that would become known as “the Black Wall Street.” Although Madam C. J Walker was given the title of America’s first female black millionaire she was not. She was the first however to flaunt and openly claim her wealth—a dangerous and revolutionary act.Nearly all the unforgettable personalities in this amazing collection were often attacked demonized or swindled out of their wealth. Black Fortunes illuminates as never before the birth of the black business titan.