In the heart of downtown Richmond in a plaza that bears her name, stands a 10-foot-tall bronze statue of one of the most prominent women of Richmond, Maggie L. Walker (1864-1934), who was a civil rights leader, educator, businesswoman, and entrepreneur.
Since several months after her death in 1934, people called to commemorate her legacy with a statue. There were several private initiatives in 1999 and 2008. In late 2013, the Public Art Commission gathered a team of citizens (including members of Walker’s family), museum professionals, and public art representatives, and the project took off.
The committee chose the artist Antonio Tobias Mendez, also known as Toby Mendez, to design and create the statue with inputs from local organizations, including the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.
At last, on July 15th, 2017, which also marked Walker’s 153rd birthday, in front of almost 1000 people, the statue was unveiled by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter Liza Mickens, the sculptor Toby Mendez, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
It is the first statue honoring an African American woman on the streets of Richmond. It stands at the entrance of the Jackson Ward, a historically Black neighborhood, and close to Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.
Three bronze bas-reliefs depict Walker’s landmarks on the statue’s base: St. Luke Headquarters 900 St. James St, Penny Savings Bank 329 N. 1st Street, and St. Luke Emporium 112 E. Broad St.
Ten benches surround the statue, each marking a key milestone in Walker’s life:
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 the vision for banking, newspaper, and retail enterprises
1903 – Charters St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, becoming the nation’s first African American female bank president
1904 – Uses her newspaper, 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 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
Just a few minutes of walk will take you to the Virginia State Capitol grounds where the Voices from the Garden: The Virginia Women’s Monument stands; Maggie L. Walker is one of the 12 women honored with a statue there.
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