PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD)– Annie Malone, an Illinois native, and the first African-American female millionaire, will be honored in Peoria with a street named after her.
A City of Peoria news release states the event will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 11. The location was chosen due to the closeness of Malone’s former Peoria home.
Many speakers will be at the event including, Mayor Rita Ali, First District Council Member Denise Jackson, Pam Adams, and James Agbara Bryson, relative of Ms. Malone and author of The Hidden Story of Annie Turnbo Malone: The First Black Female Millionaire.
Malone was born in August 1869 and moved to Peoria as a teenager. After health problems forced her to step down as a student at Peoria High School, Malone used her chemistry know-how and began practicing hairdressing with her sister before developing her own beauty products.
Moving to St. Louis in 1902, she expanded her business into a storefront, broadened marketing efforts through advertising and the rest is history. By 1924, Malone’s net worth was $14 million.
Those interested will be able to watch the event on the City’s YouTube page: here.
