On July 12 and July 15, 2014, the National Park Service will offer a special set of programs to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Maggie Lena Walker.
On July 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, located at 600 N. 2nd Street in Richmond, will offer activities for children and families. All activities are free, unless otherwise indicated. Programs include:
- “Maggie Walker’s Richmond” – a two-hour ranger-led bus tour exploring sites in Richmond associated with Maggie Walker’s life and work. The tour begins at 10:00 a.m. and tickets are $20. Reservations can be made by calling 804-335-8100.
- Girl Scout Artwork – a special display of artwork produced by local Girl Scouts illustrating four elements of leadership that remain relevant and important to Girl Scouts today.
- a “Common Good Fair” – to connect visitors with local community engagement groups working to make a difference in the Richmond area, much in the same way that Maggie Walker made change in her community in her time.
On the evening of July 15, the 150 anniversary of her birth, the capstone commemoration event will illuminate Walker’s life through the words and stories of the people who lived during her time, read by rangers and park volunteers and friends. Taking place in the sanctuary of historic Third Street Bethel AME Church, “We Cannot Stand Alone” – A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Maggie Lena Walker will focus on three pillars of her work: education, entrepreneurialism, and civic engagement.
To illustrate the continuing relevancy of that work, the program will also feature remarks by individuals working in those fields today: Delegate Jennifer McClellan, Virginia General Assembly; Ida McPherson, Director of the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity; and Viola Baskerville, CEO, Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The program will culminate with a procession from the church to the steps of Maggie Walker’s home, where guests will lay 150 flowers, one for each year since her birth. The event is free and open to the public. It will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Third Street Bethel AME Church, 614 N. 3rd Street in Richmond.
These events are a part of the National Park Service’s “Civil War to Civil Rights” commemorations taking place on the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. Maggie Walker was born in the Confederate capital during the final year of the war. Her mother was a free African American working in the home of Unionist spy Elizabeth Van Lew and her father was a Confederate soldier and nurse at Chimborazo Hospital. For the next 70 years, Walker’s life and work reflected the challenges faced by African Americans in the South in the post-war years during Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Her work to empower African Americans, women, and children through education, entrepreneurialism, and civic engagement was transformational for her community and our nation, and inspirational not only in her time but in ours.
The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site has been a unit of the National Park System since 1978. A national activist for the rights of African Americans and women, Maggie Walker (1864-1934) was the leader of the Independent Order of St. Luke, an important benevolent association, and the first African American woman in the United States to become president of a chartered bank. She worked to inspire young people to learn self-discipline, self-help, and selflessness, and groomed young leaders who knew the importance of helping others and their communities. Guided tours of her restored home, located in historic Jackson Ward, are given by National Park rangers. The park visitor center is open Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Additional information is available at 804-771-2017, or on the web at www.nps.gov/mawa or www.Facebook.com/MaggieL.WalkerNHS.
