CELEBRATING THE WORK OF MADAM ANNIE B. DANIELS
July 31, 2008
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia: Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and work of a treasured citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Madam Annie B. Daniels. The year 2008 marks the 50th year Madam Daniels has operated her business on Chestnut Avenue in Newport News. In recognition of both this anniversary and her many civic accomplishments, I would like to say a few words about this remarkable woman.
Annie B. Daniels was born in Grove Hill, Alabama. At an early age, Madam Daniels had the desire to become a hairdresser, having been inspired by her great aunt Lady Bell Pugh, a local hairdresser. Madam Daniels began her formal beautician training at the Barnett Institute in Grove Hill and continued at the Freeman Beauty School of Savannah, Georgia. She moved to Newport News, Virginia, and enrolled in the Spratley Beauty College. Upon graduation, she worked in privately owned salons until she opened her singularly owned and operated beauty parlor on 1309 30th Street in 1948.
Although the ability to operate her own salon was empowering, Madam Daniels was unsatisfied with her first business and in 1958 she established the Madam Daniels' Salon at 2901 Chestnut Avenue. A year later she added an educational component to the salon and the Madam Daniels' School of Beauty Culture was born. Starting with just four students and a basic course of study, the school has grown tremendously in both enrollment and curriculum. Madam Daniels' School of Beauty Culture is a fixture of the southeastern Newport News community, and its graduates have gone on to make their mark in the beauty industry around the world.
Hand in hand with her entrepreneurial work, Madam Daniels has been an important advocate for civil rights and social justice in Virginia. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement in Virginia, becoming the first fully paid female life member of the Newport News branch of the NAACP. For over a decade she chaired the local life membership committee, and through her efforts to increase life memberships, the branch was nationally recognized.
Madam Daniels's civic engagement has been recognized by the City of Newport News, the NAACP, Hampton University, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, the Peninsula Chapter of 100 Black Men of America, and the Virginia General Assembly. Her advice and counsel are actively sought by local mayors, city council members, and state and national representatives, including myself. I congratulate Madam Daniels on her 50 years as a successful entrepreneur and for her 50 years of commitment and service to her community, state, and country.