Octavia Spencer will play the lead role in a new Netflix series about Madam CJ Walker, the first American woman to earn a million on her own and to become an activist for the African American community.
Madam CJ Walker, who was born in 1867 as Sarah Breedlove, was one of the first Americans to develop hair products for African-American women at the beginning of the twentieth century. The company that she set up in it grew into a successful business. Walker invested part of the money she earned for institutions that stood up for the rights of African-Americans. She died in 1919.
The series is based on the book On Her Own Ground, written by the great-granddaughter of CJ Walker, A’Leila Bundles and receives eight episodes. Madam CJ Walker is produced by, among others, Spencer himself and basketball player LeBron James.