Biography Of Marjorie Stewart Joyner

Marjorie Stewart Joyner was born on October 24, 1896 in Monterey, Virginia, which was the Blue Ridge Mountain area of the state. She was the granddaughter of both a slave and a slave owner. She was a very strong businesswoman and humanitarian with strong ambition and desires. When she was a teenager, she and her family joined the Great Migration, moving to Chicago, Illinois where so many African-Americans were moving for jobs and a better life. Once she arrived to Chicago, she began to study and pursue a cosmetology career. Marjorie Joyner had a strong message that she carried throughout her lifetime which was: Be proud of who you are and treat yourself as if you care. From this belief, she became an avid supporter of young men and women throughout her life. She attended A.B. Molar Beauty School and became the first African American woman to graduate from the school in 1916. Marjorie made it her mission to become an educator in African American beauty culture. She did that while inspiring many younger African Americans. Marjorie also fought for racial and gender equality during the years of growth for the Black community in Chicago. At the very tender age of twenty she married a man by the name of Robert E. Joyner and opened a beauty salon soon after. Obviously Marjorie Joyner developed an early interest in becoming a cosmetologist so she started a salon in her home. Her mother-in-law was not impressed with the way she did hair and felt that she needed more practice so she suggested that Marjorie study at one of Madame C. J. Walker’s beauty schools. She was a very gracious and generous woman, and even offered to pay the cost for Marjorie to attend the beauty school. Soon after, she was introduced to the very well-known Afric...

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.... Joyner and even tried to copy her invention while adding their own twist to it. So quite naturally her invention evolved and paved the way for even more technological advances. The permanent wave machine paved the way for newer items that we have today, such as flat irons and curling irons. She was an inspiration to many and she dedicated her life to helping others. Marjorie Joyner’s invention opened new doors many beauticians and their customers. She helped pave the way for the evolution of hair for both African American and Caucasian women. Marjorie inspired many generations and left an amazing legacy filled with selflessness and creativity. I will finish this paper with a quote from the amazing Marjorie Stewart Joyner: “There is nothing a woman can’t do. Men might think they do things all by themselves but a woman is always there guiding them or helping them.”