Annie Minerva Turnbo Malone, born on August 9, 1869 in Metropolis, Illinois, rose from the hard knocks of early orphanhood to become one of America’s first self-made Black millionaires. Born to parents who had escaped slavery, she found her genius early — not in a lab coat in a classroom but at the kitchen table crafting hair formulas that spoke to the needs of Black women ignored by the mainstream beauty industry.
Malone’s breakthrough came with the creation of “Wonderful Hair Grower” and a suite of gentle, effective hair care products designed with Black hair in mind — a radical act of beauty justice in the early 1900s. She moved her business to St. Louis in 1902, grew her brand door-to-door and through advertising in Black newspapers, and soon her company, Poro, became a nationwide phenomenon.
At the height of her success — long before Black women were widely recognized in business — Malone’s empire included a million-dollar factory, a nationwide network of Poro beauty schools, and tens of thousands of sales agents, mostly women whose lives she helped elevate. She cultivated opportunity and uplifted her community, paying employees fairly and passionately supporting Black institutions and orphanages.
In 1918 she founded Poro College, a cosmetology school that doubled as a job creator and social hub for Black communities. Her influence rippled far beyond haircare: she mentored others, including Madam C.J. Walker, and became a pillar of Black philanthropy.
Though her fortune shrank later in life — partly due to legal struggles and the Great Depression — Malone’s impact was enormous. By the 1920s she was widely regarded as one of the wealthiest Black women in America, and her legacy continues through the institutions she supported and the industry she helped create.
