She was the granddaughter of slaves, she inherited land that had oil and became a millionaire at the age of 11.

money is powerand many times it changes people. Sarah Rector is not the exception. The girl who was destined for a life of extreme poverty was presented with a unique opportunity and she made the most of it.

There are so many factors that shaped Sarah’s story; from slavery and racism to fame and moneytwo extremes that were able to touch each other thanks to an incredible work of destiny.

Who was Sarah Rector, “the richest black girl in the world”

Sarah Rector born March 3, 1902. Was granddaughter of slaves and daughter of African American parents with Amerindian rootsand grew up in the territories that now make up the city of Taft, in the state of Oklahoma. But at that time that area was land of the creek, one of the Five Civilized Tribes. The term was used by European settlers to distinguish the clans that had adopted western customssuch as, the possession of plantations and slaves.

But to continue with this story we have to go back to 1866when a treaty forced indigenous territories to free slaves and assign land. So it was that Sarah, like the rest of her family, received a large piece of land without much use.

What was the land that Sarah Rector received like?

64 hectares made up the land that had been assigned to the girl. The soil was rocky and not very fertile, which made agriculture impossible.. Besides, josephSarah’s father, had to pay the annual fees -it was around 30 dollars- for land that did not generate wealth.

He tried to sell it, although without success, until called the Standard Oil Company to lease the plot. What no one knew was that the family’s future was going to be on that piece of land.

How she became “the richest black girl in the world”

The company found an oil well from which 2,500 barrels per day could be extracted, which, arriving in 1913, translated into windfall earnings like $300 a day ($8,000 today). It was thus that Sarah Rector, owner of the dream land, came to be nicknamed “the richest colored girl in the world”.

Clearly there were conditions imposed by the racist society that inhabited the United States at that time. He was assigned a “white tutor” so that he could control the earnings of the young Sarah, who had a media impact. She received loan applications, marriage proposals and even an incredible title: “white citizen” by the Oklahoma Legislature in 1913..

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Thanks to the money, Sarah obtained privileges unthinkable for a black girl, such as travel in a first class carriage. However, The Chicago Defendera newspaper known for defending African-American rights, reported that Sarah was being scammed by her guardians. This caused people from the upper class and close to power to defend the girl’s interests.

In 1914Sarah settled in Tuskegee Institutea boarding school in Alabama. In 1920, with money and shares, he had already bought properties, land and companies. He moved with his entire family to the mansion “Rector’s House” in Kansas City, Missouri, housing that still stands as a nonprofit organization.

Kenneth Campbell was her first husband, with whom she had 3 children and divorced in 1930.. Four years later he married William Crawford, restaurant owner. During all that time he made sure to have a luxurious life, with cars, jewelry, diamonds and properties, despite the prejudices of the time. Jazz icons such as Count Basie and Duke Ellingtonand nights of parties with alcohol and important guests were held in his mansion.

“The richest colored girl in the world” died at age 65, on July 22, 1967.