A St. Louis hidden figure

On Thursday night in St. Charles, the crowd filing into Lindenwood Theatre carried a sense of occasion. Dressed to impress, they came to honor a woman whose name echoes across St. Louis, but whose legacy has too often been left in the shadows.

“Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story,” a new documentary from the Annie Malone Film Project. Through the voices of descendants, scholars, and keepers of local history, the film reintroduces Malone beyond that of beauty pioneer. Through their lens – and in truth – she was a visionary whose influence shaped generations of Black entrepreneurship, community care, and creative possibility.

The project—led by filmmakers Kim Love, Demetrius Davis, and Giovanni Joseph—made its red‑carpet debut March 26. The evening blended film, fashion, and fellowship, with a panel discussion and curated exhibitions that nodded to Malone’s era while celebrating the artistry she inspired. Midway through the night, State Senator Angela Mosley presented the team with a state resolution honoring their work.

“This was a moment to pause and recognize citizens who are contributing greatly to the arts,” Mosley said. “And we recognize them for documenting the life of such an esteemed historic figure.”

The premiere doubled as a fundraiser for the restoration of the historically registered 1922 Annie Malone Children and Family Center, ensuring that the institution born from Malone’s generosity continues to serve families for generations to come.

The film traces Malone’s journey from her early years in southern Illinois—where she watched her entrepreneurial siblings carve out their own paths—to her rise in St. Louis, where she developed a hair‑care product she believed in enough to take door‑to‑door, city‑to‑city. By the early 1900s, Malone had built a beauty empire that stretched from St. Louis to Chicago, reshaping the landscape of Black beauty culture and business ownership.

Love admitted during the panel that he didn’t fully understand Malone’s magnitude until he moved to St. Louis. “I just assumed she was an activist,” he said. “Then Netflix came and told that crazy story,” he added with a laugh. “And I said, ‘No, we’ve got to do something.’ That’s really what drove us.”

“The drive was to set the record straight—not to take anything away from Madame C.J. Walker,” Davis added. “But to show that both of these women did something major in our community.”

The film reveals that Walker sold Malone’s Poro products before established her own business – and that white beauty industry entrepreneurs used Malone’s business model as a blueprint 

During the post-show panel discussion, Davis credited Lindenwood professor Chajuana Trawick, whose deep research on Malone helped shape the film. “She gave us so much information,” Davis said. “As we peeled through the layers, things became more and more interesting as we saw what she had done and created.”

The documentary paints a vivid picture of Malone’s world: the trusted products she crafted for her community; the advertisements that centered Black beauty long before mainstream media dared to; and the crown jewel of her legacy, Poro College. The sprawling institution—an entire city block in The Ville—served as a cosmetology school, business hub, and community gathering place. Residents came for classes, but they also came for the rooftop garden, the ice cream parlor, and the sense of belonging.

The film also revisits a question Malone was asked throughout her life: why she gave so much of her wealth away. 

“It’s not my money,” Malone said, according to the film. “It’s God’s money.”

Though her name faded from national memory over time, her impact remains alive. It can be found in the programs offered today through Annie Malone Children and Family Services—and in the countless Black entrepreneurs who walk the path she paved.

“St. Louis is rich in Black history,” Davis said. “We have some major people in every industry, but as history has shown, their contributions are often covered up, and other companies take our ideas and make them seem like their own.”

For more information about “Annie Turnbo Malone: The Untold Story,” visit www.anniemalonefilm.org

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.