How Black hair care grew Black power

The Planet Money podcast explores the rise and fall of Johnson Products, a pioneering Black-owned hair care company. It details how George and Joan Johnson built a business empire by catering to the needs of Black consumers, starting with Ultra Wave hair straightener and later Afro Sheen. The company's success funded civil rights initiatives, including a crucial loan to Martin Luther King Jr., and sponsored Soul Train. The podcast highlights the shift in the 1970s when Johnson Products went public, attracting competition from larger corporations like Revlon. Ultimately, the company faltered by missing the trend of the Jheri curl and was later sold to a white-owned company, marking both a milestone and a loss for Black entrepreneurship.