02/03/2024
“Have faith, have hope, have courage and carry on.” - Maggie Lena Walker
Maggie Lena Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration for pride and progress.
“Let us have a bank that will take the nickels and turn them into dollars.” Walker founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, the first bank in the United States started by an African-American woman. The bank would survive the Great Depression through the leadership of Walker and at one point became the oldest Black run bank in the United States.
Today, Walker’s home in Richmond, Virginia is preserved as Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, a tribute to her enduring legacy of vision, courage, and determination.
Black history and heritage—including achievements, contributions, and historical journeys—are remembered and commemorated in national parks across the country. Find resources to learn, teach, experience, and reflect during and beyond at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/npscelebrates/black-history-month.htm
Image: Maggie Lena Walker in her office. She opened St. Luke Penny Savings Bank on the first floor of St. Luke Hall in 1903 in Richmond, Va.
