Poro Company Founder & Pioneering Black Business Mogul
August 9, 1877 – May 10, 1957
🇺🇸 United StatesAnnie Minerva Turnbo was born on August 9, 1877, in Metropolis, Illinois, just twelve years after the end of slavery in America. She was the tenth of eleven children born to Robert and Isabella Turnbo, former enslaved people who had secured their freedom and built a modest life in southern Illinois. Annie's early years were marked by profound tragedy—both of her parents died before she reached her teenage years, leaving her orphaned and in the care of her older siblings.
Growing up in the post-Reconstruction South, Annie faced the twin burdens of poverty and systemic racism. Opportunities for Black Americans, particularly Black women, were severely limited. Most Black women were relegated to domestic service or sharecropping, earning poverty wages and facing constant discrimination and violence. The idea that a Black woman—an orphan, no less—could become one of the wealthiest people in America would have seemed impossible to nearly everyone in that era.
Yet Annie possessed qualities that would prove transformative: brilliant business acumen, scientific curiosity, deep compassion for her community, and an unshakeable determination to succeed despite overwhelming obstacles. She also had a keen eye for an unmet market need. She observed that Black women had virtually no access to hair care products designed for their specific hair texture and needs. The available products were often harsh, ineffective, or even dangerous.
While still a young woman, Annie began experimenting with hair care formulations in her kitchen, studying chemistry and the properties of different ingredients. She developed a line of hair care products specifically designed for Black women's hair—products that were safe, effective, and actually worked. This was revolutionary. For the first time, Black women had access to quality hair care specifically created for them, by someone who understood their needs and experiences.
In 1900, Annie Turnbo launched her business, initially operating door-to-door in Lovejoy, Illinois. She didn't just sell products—she educated women on hair care and hygiene, demonstrating her treatments and building a loyal customer base through excellent results and personal service. Her products worked, her customers were thrilled, and word spread rapidly through Black communities.
In 1902, Annie moved to St. Louis, Missouri, a growing city with a substantial Black population. St. Louis would become the headquarters of her expanding empire. She married Aaron Malone in 1903, and her business became known as the Poro Company. The name "Poro" was inspired by a West African term, connecting her business to African heritage and dignity at a time when Black culture was systematically denigrated.
What set Annie Malone apart wasn't just her products—it was her revolutionary business model. She created a network marketing system, training thousands of women to become "Poro agents" who sold products and provided hair care services in their communities. This created economic opportunity for thousands of Black women who had few other options for financial independence. Poro agents could earn good money, build their own businesses, and achieve a level of economic freedom that was otherwise unavailable to Black women in that era.
By 1910, Annie Malone's business was thriving beyond anyone's expectations. She established Poro College in St. Louis, a state-of-the-art complex that served as manufacturing facility, training center, and community hub. The four-story building occupied an entire city block and employed hundreds of people. Poro College trained thousands of beauty culturists, teaching them not just hair care techniques but also business skills, etiquette, and professional development.
Poro College became more than a business—it became a community institution. Malone hosted concerts, lectures, and social events at the facility. She provided meeting space for Black community organizations. She created jobs and opportunities at a time when Black Americans faced systematic exclusion from most employment. The college represented Black excellence, Black entrepreneurship, and Black self-determination in a society that constantly denied these possibilities.
By the 1920s, at the height of her success, Annie Malone was worth an estimated $14 million—equivalent to over $200 million in today's dollars. This made her one of the wealthiest Black Americans and one of the wealthiest women in the entire country, regardless of race. Her wealth exceeded that of Madam C.J. Walker, who is often (incorrectly) cited as the first Black woman millionaire. While Walker was undoubtedly successful and important, Malone's empire was larger and more profitable at its peak.
What distinguished Annie Malone from many wealthy businesspeople was her extraordinary generosity. She believed her wealth carried responsibility to uplift her community. She donated massive sums to educational institutions, particularly historically Black colleges and universities. She provided funding for Howard University, establishing scholarships for students who couldn't otherwise afford education.
In 1922, Annie Malone donated land and money to establish the St. Louis Colored Orphans Home, which was later renamed the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center. This institution continues to operate today, nearly a century later, providing services to children and families in need. The fact that an institution she founded still serves her community more than 100 years later speaks to the enduring impact of her philanthropy.
She supported churches, community centers, and social service organizations throughout St. Louis and beyond. During the Great Depression, when many businesses failed and countless people lost their livelihoods, Malone continued employing hundreds of workers and supporting community organizations, even as her own business faced challenges. She gave away more than half of her wealth during her lifetime—an act of generosity that was both personally meaningful and strategically important for Black community development.
Despite her success, Annie Malone faced enormous challenges. Her marriage to Aaron Malone deteriorated, and their divorce in 1927 was bitter and costly. Aaron demanded—and received—a substantial settlement, including some control over the Poro business. The divorce cost Annie millions of dollars and created operational difficulties for her company.
She also faced discrimination that wealth couldn't eliminate. Despite being one of the wealthiest people in St. Louis, she couldn't live in certain neighborhoods, eat in certain restaurants, or access facilities restricted to whites. She experienced the constant indignity of racism that no amount of money or success could fully shield her from.
In the 1930s, she faced additional legal and financial troubles, including tax disputes and business challenges during the Great Depression. In 1930, she moved her operations to Chicago, leaving the St. Louis headquarters that had been central to her empire. The move was difficult and marked the beginning of a decline in her business fortunes.
By the 1940s and 1950s, the Poro Company faced increased competition from newer beauty companies and changing market conditions. Annie Malone's health declined, and managing the business became increasingly difficult. Yet even in these challenging years, she continued her philanthropic work, supporting students, churches, and community organizations with whatever resources she had available.
Annie Malone passed away on May 10, 1957, in Chicago at the age of 79. By the time of her death, her fortune had diminished significantly from its peak, largely because she had given so much away. She died with relatively modest financial resources—but with a legacy of impact that far exceeded monetary wealth.
Throughout her life, Annie Malone demonstrated that business success and social responsibility were not contradictory but complementary. She proved that a Black woman born into poverty just twelve years after slavery could build one of America's great business empires. She showed that wealth could be used not just for personal luxury but for community uplift and transformation.
She created economic opportunity for thousands of Black women, trained generations of beauty culturists and entrepreneurs, supported education for countless students, and built institutions that continue serving communities today. She did all this while facing the systematic oppression of Jim Crow segregation, the discrimination that wealthy Black Americans faced regardless of their success, and the additional barriers imposed on women in business and society.
Annie Malone built one of America's great business empires, created economic opportunity for thousands of Black women, and donated millions to education and community development, proving that business success and social responsibility go hand in hand.
Annie Malone's legacy extends far beyond her impressive business achievements and personal wealth. She demonstrated a model of entrepreneurship rooted in community uplift and social responsibility. While she certainly enjoyed the fruits of her labor, she understood wealth as a tool for transformation—both personal and communal. Her life stands as a powerful counter-narrative to the myth that Black Americans lacked business acumen or entrepreneurial spirit.
The Poro Company was more than a business; it was a vehicle for Black economic empowerment during one of the most oppressive periods in American history. At a time when Black women faced crushing discrimination in employment, education, and every aspect of public life, Malone created opportunities for thousands to build their own businesses, earn good incomes, and achieve financial independence. The Poro agents she trained went on to establish beauty salons, train other beauticians, and become pillars of their communities.
Her philanthropic vision was equally transformative. By supporting education, particularly at historically Black colleges and universities, she invested in the future leadership of Black America. The students who benefited from her scholarships and donations went on to become teachers, doctors, lawyers, and leaders who advanced civil rights and community development. Her founding of the orphanage that still bears her name created an institution that has served vulnerable children for over a century.
Annie Malone's story also challenges our understanding of early 20th-century Black business history. While Madam C.J. Walker is celebrated (rightfully so) as a pioneering Black entrepreneur, Malone's larger fortune and earlier success deserve equal recognition. Both women were remarkable, but Malone's relative obscurity in popular history reflects how Black women's contributions are often erased or minimized, even within their own communities' narratives.
Perhaps most importantly, Annie Malone lived her values. She didn't just talk about community responsibility—she gave away more than half of her fortune, continued employing people during economic hardship, and maintained her philanthropic commitments even as her own circumstances became challenging. She understood that her success was built on the support of Black communities, and she felt a deep obligation to give back.
Today, the Annie Malone Children and Family Service Center continues serving families in St. Louis, carrying forward her commitment to nurturing and supporting the next generation. Every child who receives services there benefits from Malone's vision and generosity from over a century ago. That's the power of strategic, intentional philanthropy—it creates institutions that outlive their founders and continue serving communities across generations.