The Story Behind Self Made: A Conversation with A’Lelia Bundles & Farah Jasmine Griffin

In the first event of the Columbia at Home virtual series, Columbia University Trustee A’Lelia Bundles ’76JRN speaks with African American studies scholar Farah Jasmine Griffin about the hit Netflix miniseries Self Made. The show is based on On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker, Bundles’ biography of her great-great-grandmother, the legendary entrepreneur, philanthropist, and America’s first female self-made millionaire.

Bundles will share anecdotes about her own journey—including from her time at Columbia where she was first inspired to write about her family—and will weigh in on the challenges and opportunities that come with translating her work to the screen. A Q&A session with attendees will follow the conversation.

Bundles, an author and journalist, is a Columbia University trustee, a 1976 graduate of Columbia Journalism School, a Columbia Alumni Association (CAA) board member, and chair emerita of the National Archives Foundation. Griffin is chair of African-American & African Diaspora Studies, director of the Institute for Research in African American Studies, and the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African-American Studies.

The CAA’s weekly Columbia at Home virtual series features Columbians speaking on informative and engaging topics during this difficult time. Diverse topics span the latest on the COVID-19 crisis, health and wellness, entertainment, and more.