Walker built a hair-care business and sales network that opened earning opportunities for Black women under Jim Crow. She also supported education and anti-lynching work. Annie Malone was another pioneer; Walker did not invent this industry alone.
She beats Musk on our social-opportunity criterion, despite a much smaller commercial footprint. Lauder wins eighth for building a more enduring consumer brand. Walker is the stronger choice if overcoming exclusion defines greatness; wealth alone would miss why she matters.
Sources: Business and giving · Two pioneers.
Photo: Addison N. Scurlock; restored by Adam Cuerden · Public domain. Resized/compressed; source status retained.
