Maggie Lena Walker

Maggie Lena Walker (née Maggie Lena Mitchell) was born to Eccles Cuthbert and Elizabeth Draper Mitchell. Her mother was a former slave-turned-assistant cook in abolitionist Elizabeth Van Lew's Church Hill mansion while her father (William Mitchell) was a butler and a writer. As a young child, Maggie helped her mother, who worked as a laundress, by delivering clean clothes to white customers. Though her family was relatively poor, Maggie was fortunate enough to attend the new Richmond public schools for African Americans. While she was in school, she joined the Independent Order of Saint Luke, which was an African American women's society that helped care for the sick and bury the dead. After her school years, she taught for a while before being forced to quit due to her marrying her husband, Armstead Walker Jr. However, she had continued to be involved with the Independent Order of Saint Luke and later became the Independent Order's Grand Secretary, reversing all of the Order's deficits in terms of funds as well as membership. In 1901, in the height of her success with the Independent Order, Maggie proposed to the organization's council her idea of a conglomerate: a newspaper, bank, and department store all catering to the order's members and audience. Not long after, the St. Luke Herald began publishing (1902), the Saint Luke Penny Savings Bank opened (1903), and the Saint Luke Emporium was up and running (1905). As a result, she's now revered as the first African American woman to ever charter a bank in the United States. The bank, which merged with two other banks to become The Consolidated Bank and Trust Company, served Richmond citizens for generations as an African American-run institution. In addition to being a successful businesswoman, Maggie Lena Walker was also known for fighting for civil and economic rights for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. She co-founded the NAACP's Richmond Chapter as well as the Council of Colored Women, and also went on to run for office. Though she lost, she continued fighting for civil rights within her community. On December 15, 1934, Maggie Lena Walker died of diabetic gangrene and her funeral was held at Richmond's First African Baptist Church. Since her death, the city of Richmond has made several efforts to honor Walker's life and legacy. In 1985, her home in Jackson Ward (which was restored and furnished) became a United States National Historic Landmark in 1978 and opened as a museum in 1985. Later on, in 1991, the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies opened its doors, serving as a college preparatory school. Then, on July 15, 2017, on the anniversary of her birthday, the city of Richmond erected a statue in her honor. Standing tall at the intersection of Broad and Adams streets in Jackson Ward, the statue is also surrounded by a new plaza. In the words of Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, "This effort has been nearly 20 years in the making, and it is an honor to finally see it happen during my time in office. Maggie Walker is an inspiration to women, African-Americans and entrepreneurs alike." #RichmondRemembers -------------------------- Sources: Branch, M. M. Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934). (2016, July 12). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Maggie_Lena_Walker_1864-1934. Mahoney, J. (2017, June 13). Maggie Walker statue unveiling set for July 15 on anniversary of pioneering Richmond banker's birthday. Retrieved June 27, 2017, from http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/maggie-walker-statue-unveiling-set-for-july-on-anniversary-of/article_b4499a57-d7cc-50ed-9973-1bcd8979b555.html