July 15, 2026 marks the 162nd birthday of Maggie Lena Walker, a business leader, an advocate for education, and a River City trailblazer whose achievements contributed to the advancement of Black suffrage and community development during Jim Crow-era Richmond.

Major Maggie milestones

1890-1897: Adopted a daughter Polly, and had three sons
1883-1886: Was a schoolteacher at the Valley School until she was married, due to school policy
1895: Established the Juvenile Branch of the Independent Order of St. Luke (IOSL), a Black American fraternal organization which helped Black Richmonders access jobs, resources, and senior care (focused on youth development, leadership, and community service)

A group of IOSL staff photographed in black and white outside a St. Lukes building, as indicated on a window sign in the background; all individuals featured wear either black and white suits or white tops with dark skirts. — "IOSL office force, Maggie Walker seated 5th from left." | Photo and caption via National Parks Service

1902: Published the first issue of the St. Luke Herald, a newspaper for the Order
1902: Employed Richmond architect Charles Thaddeus Russell to build the St. Luke Building to house the Order organization
1903: Was the first woman of any race to charter a bank and be its president, leading the St. Luke’s Penny Savings Bank (known as the Consolidated Bank and Trust Co. through 2010)
1904: Moved into her family home on 110 ½ E. Leigh St. in Jackson Ward

The facade of Maggie L. Walker's Jackson Ward home near present day, featuring a sign reading "Maggie L. Walker / National Historic Site." — Richmonders can visit Maggie L. Walker's home today. | Photo by RICtoday

1905: Operated the St. Luke Emporium, which offered retail, employment, and training opportunities for Black women
1921: Campaigned on an all-Black political ticket for Virginia's Superintendent of Public Instruction
1925: Received an honorary master’s degree from Virginia Union University
1937, 1991: Had two schools named after her, Maggie L. Walker High School and the still-active Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies
1975: Maggie L. Walker House becomes a National Historic Site
1978: Jackson Ward becomes a designated National Historic District
2000: Named in the inaugural class of Virginia Women in History

Statue of Maggie L. Walker in Richmond — Maggie watches over Broad Street, checkbook in hand. | Photo by RICtoday

Commemorate Maggie’s birthday

MLW National Historic Site | 110 ½ E. Leigh St. | Tuesdays-Thursdays (by appointment); Fridays + Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (walk-ins only) | Get an inside look at two floors of Maggie’s family home, restored to what it would’ve looked like in the early 20th century. Guided tours run five times a day.

MLW Memorial Plaza | W. Broad St. + N. Adams St. | Visit the 10-foot bronze likeness of Maggie, dedicated in 2017. The ten benches surrounding it are inscribed with her many accomplishments. She is also represented in the Virginia Women’s Monument on Bank St.

St. Luke Building | 900 St. James St. | Now home to apartments, the city’s oldest Black-affiliated office building was where Maggie worked, organized events, led meetings, and ran the Penny Savings Bank.

VMHC | 428 N. Arthur Ashe Blvd. | Explore artifacts from Maggie Walker and her contemporaries in exhibits like “The Story of Virginia,” “Treasures of Virginia,” and “History Matters.”

Library of VA | 101 E. Franklin St. | Dig deep into multitudes of Maggie Walker research from biographers, historians, and city records.

“Pennies to Dollars: The Story of Maggie Lena Walker” | Read this 1997 biography by Richmond authors Muriel Miller Branch and Dorothy Marie Rice.