Maggie Lena Walker
Banking | 1903
Chartered and led the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903, becoming the first woman in the United States to found and serve as president of a bank.
She built financial infrastructure for Black communities during segregation, creating systems of economic stability and collective advancement.
Annie Turnbo Malone
Beauty Manufacturing | 1902
Founded the Poro Company in 1902 and built a multimillion-dollar haircare enterprise serving Black women nationwide.
She trained tens of thousands of women as sales agents and entrepreneurs, developing one of the earliest large-scale distribution networks in the country.
CLARA BROWN
Real Estate & Investment | 1860
After gaining her freedom, she moved to Colorado around 1860 during the Gold Rush and began investing in land, laundry businesses, and mining claims.
She became one of the first Black female property investors in the American West, building wealth through ownership and reinvesting in community
