Profile: Sarah Spencer Washington

Entrepreneur • Educator • Business Leader

Sarah Spencer Washington believed that business success should create opportunities for others to succeed. Through her leadership, the beauty industry became more than a profession—it became a pathway to education, entrepreneurship, and financial independence for thousands of African American women. While Washington's portrait honors the visionary behind the Apex enterprise, the bustling Apex exhibit reflects the national reach of the company she built and the excitement surrounding products created specifically for Black consumers. Together, these images illustrate how Washington transformed a single business into a movement that empowered women to develop careers, build businesses, and strengthen their communities. Her legacy reminds us that entrepreneurship can inspire confidence, create opportunity, and open doors for generations to come.

Overview:

Sarah Spencer Washington (1889–1953), widely known as Madame Washington, was a pioneering entrepreneur who built one of the largest Black-owned beauty companies in the United States. Born in rural Virginia, she moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the early 1900s and opened a small beauty salon in 1913. Recognizing the growing demand for quality beauty products designed for African American women, she founded the Apex News & Hair Company in 1919. Under her leadership, the company expanded into a national business that manufactured more than 70 beauty products and employed thousands of sales agents, teachers, chemists, and laboratory technicians. Washington also established Apex beauty schools across the United States, the Caribbean, and South Africa, creating educational and economic opportunities for thousands of women. Her remarkable success made her one of America's first Black female millionaires and one of the nation's most respected business leaders. 

Quick Facts:

• Born June 6, 1889, in Virginia.

• Moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the early 1900s.

• Opened her first beauty salon in 1913.

• Founded the Apex News & Hair Company in 1919.

• Developed more than 70 beauty and hair-care products.

• Built a nationwide network of approximately 45,000 Apex sales agents.

• Established Apex beauty schools in 12 U.S. cities as well as the Caribbean and South Africa.

• Honored at the 1939 New York World's Fair as one of the world's ten most distinguished businesswomen.

• Founded Apex Rest, a nursing home for elderly African Americans.

• Became one of the first African American women to achieve millionaire status.

Building Opportunity Together

This letter is more than an invitation—it is a record of a community coming together to expand opportunity. Sara Spencer Washington asked supporters to help establish Apex's new beauty school and invited them to a public meeting at Cosmopolitan Community Church. The handwritten names and contributions on the back show that individuals answered the call, investing in an institution that would train future entrepreneurs and beauty professionals. The document demonstrates how Black-owned businesses, churches, and local communities worked together to create pathways to economic independence during an era when many opportunities were limited by segregation. 

Why This Story Matters

Sarah Spencer Washington showed that entrepreneurship could create both personal success and lasting opportunities for others. At a time when African American women faced discrimination in employment and business, she built a thriving company that trained thousands of women to become licensed beauticians, business owners, and sales representatives. Her company created jobs in manufacturing, education, sales, and management while encouraging African Americans to support Black-owned businesses. Washington also invested heavily in her community, providing housing for the elderly, supporting civic organizations, and creating recreational opportunities that welcomed people of all races. Her life demonstrates that business leadership and community service can work together to create lasting change. 

Legacy:

Sarah Spencer Washington transformed a single beauty salon into an international business empire built on opportunity, education, and service. Through the Apex News & Hair Company, she created one of the nation's largest Black-owned businesses, manufacturing dozens of beauty products while employing hundreds of workers in laboratories and factories and thousands more through a nationwide network of Apex sales agents. Believing that beauty culture could provide financial independence, she established Apex beauty schools across the United States, the Caribbean, and South Africa, training approximately 4,000 students each year and opening doors for thousands of African American women to become professionals and business owners. Yet Washington believed that true success meant lifting others as she climbed. She founded Apex Rest to care for elderly residents, created an inclusive golf course after experiencing racial discrimination, supported numerous civic organizations, and provided coal to struggling families during the Great Depression. When Black children were ignored in Atlantic City's Easter Parade, she responded by establishing the Northside Easter Parade so every child could be celebrated. Although she became one of America's first Black female millionaires, Washington never lost sight of her commitment to community. Her life demonstrated that wealth is most meaningful when it creates opportunities, strengthens neighborhoods, and leaves future generations with greater possibilities than those that came before.

Discussion Questions:

1. What impact can one entrepreneur have on an entire community? Use Sarah Spencer Washington's story to support your answer. 

2. Why do you think entrepreneurs like Sarah Spencer Washington receive much less attention in history classes than political leaders or entertainers, even though they transformed their communities?

3. Washington responded to discrimination by creating new businesses, schools, and community events rather than accepting exclusion. What does her response teach us about leadership and creating a sense of belonging?

Reflection Prompt:

1. Sarah Spencer Washington used her wealth to solve problems she saw in her own community—from providing jobs and education to caring for older adults and creating celebrations where everyone was welcome. If you had the resources to address one need in your community, what would you create, and how could it continue helping people long after you were gone? 

Sources & Further Reading:

1. "Sara(h) Spencer Washington." Atlantic City Free Public Library. Historical Marker. Website 

2. "Sara Spencer Washington." New Jersey Women's History. Website. 

3. "Letter from Sara S. Washington for the Apex News and Hair Company." Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture. Museum Collection. 

4. "Story Behind One of First African-American Millionaires Highlighted in Documentary." Baltimore Magazine. Website. 

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