Jackson Ward in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Maggie Lena Walker Memorial

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

1. Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Statue

2017 bronze by Antonio Tobias Mendez is ten feet tall.

Inscription.
1864 — Born July 15 to Elizabeth Draper and later works with her mother as a laundress to make ends meet

1883 — Graduates from Richmond Colored Normal School, teaches for three years before marrying Armstead Walker, Jr.

1899 — Leads Independent Order of St. Luke (IOSL) as Right Worthy Grand Secretary with vision for banking, newspaper and retail enterprises

1903 — Charters St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, becoming nation’s first African American female bank president

1904 — Uses her newspaper, the St. Luke Herald, to incite a two-year boycott of Richmond’s segregated streetcars

1905 — Operates the St. Luke Emporium, offering retail, employment and training opportunities for Richmond’s black women

1921 — Campaign for Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction on an all-black political ticket

By 1925 — Transforms IOSL from a struggling burial society into a thriving insurance company in over 20 states with 100,000

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members

1920–1930s — Influential leader in NAACP, National Association of Colored Women, Urban League, National Negro Business League

1934 — Passes away December 15 at her home, imparting a legacy of service, activism, and empowerment.

Erected 2017.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Charity & Public Work • Civil Rights • Communications • Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.

Location. 37° 32.774′ N, 77° 26.554′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in the Jackson Ward. Marker is at the intersection of West Broad Street (U.S. 33) and North Adams Street, on the right when traveling north on West Broad Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 98 W Broad St, Richmond VA 23220, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Officer Vernon L. Jarrelle (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Samuel Preston Moore (about 600 feet

Maggie Lena Walker Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

2. Maggie Lena Walker Memorial

away); Consolidated Bank & Trust Company (about 600 feet away); “I must save the women of Richmond!” (about 700 feet away); Site of J. E. B. Stuart's Death (about 700 feet away); Maggie Walker (about 700 feet away); The AS Smith House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Patrick H. Starke Residence (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. A memorial worthy of Maggie L. Walker’s legacy. 2017 column by Michael Paul Williams in the Richmond Times Dispatch. “Walker and John Mitchell Jr. were instrumental in the boycott of Richmond’s segregated trolley car system, an act of protest predating the more celebrated Montgomery Bus Boycott by half a century. ‘Maggie Walker had an amazing network of working women and men to galvanize them to walk rather than ride the trolley,’ [Carmen] Foster said. ‘She understood the value of social

Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

3. Maggie Lena Walker (1864–1934)

This depiction represents Mrs. Walker at age 45 to 50, at the height of her career.

capital and relationships. She never forgot who she was or where she came from as the daughter of a slave.’” (Submitted on September 20, 2017.)

2. Maggie Walker statue unveiled Saturday in Richmond. 2017 article by Vanessa Remmers in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “‘She is in her rightful place in the heart of this city,’ Liza Mickens, another of Maggie Walker’s great-great-granddaughters, told the crowd. She is facing Broad Street, Mickens said, where African-American people weren’t always welcome. She is also at the gateway to Jackson Ward, a historic African-American community that she helped inspire. Mayor Levar Stoney twice noted that this statue is the first monument on a city street dedicated to a woman in Richmond’s history.” (Submitted on September 20, 2017.)

3. Wikipedia Entry for Maggie L. Walker. “In 1902, she published a newspaper for the organization, "The St. Luke Herald." Shortly after, she chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. Mrs. Walker served as the bank's first president, which earned her the recognition of being the first black woman to charter a bank

Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Benches image. Click for full size.

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

4. Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Benches

in the United States. Later she agreed to serve as chairman of the board of directors when the bank merged with two other Richmond banks to become The Consolidated Bank and Trust Company, which grew to serve generations of Richmonders as an African-American owned institution” (Submitted on September 21, 2017.)

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 20, 2017

5. Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Benches

Photographed By J. J. Prats, September 20, 2017

6. Maggie Lena Walker Memorial Benches

St. Luke Headquarters 900 St. James St image. Click for full size.

Bronze bas-relief by Antonio Tobias Mendez, 2017

7. St. Luke Headquarters 900 St. James St

This bronze tablet is one of three on the base of the statue.

Penny Savings Bank 329 N. 1st Street image. Click for full size.

Bronze bas-relief by Antonio Tobias Mendez, 2017

8. Penny Savings Bank 329 N. 1st Street

This bronze tablet is one of three on the base of the statue.

St. Luke Emporium 112 E. Broad St. image. Click for full size.

Bronze bas-relief by Antonio Tobias Mendez, 2017

9. St. Luke Emporium 112 E. Broad St.

This bronze tablet is one of three on the base of the statue.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 19, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 788 times since then and 68 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week September 24, 2017. Photos: 1. submitted on September 19, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on September 20, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.