An African American woman that made history will finally be commemorated with a statue in the city.
An African American woman that made history will finally be commemorated with a statue in the city.
Mayor Dwight C. Jones and the City’s Public Art Commission (PAC) announced today a new monument honoring the civil rights activist Maggie L. Walker will be added to a new plaza on Broad Street at North Adams Street and is slated for completion by fall 2016.
Antonio Tobias “Toby” Mendez is the artist tasked by the Public Art Comission and neighborhood leaders with creating the monument of Walker that would honor her legacy and contributions to the city.
Walker gave her entire life and put all her efforts into advancing civil rights for African Americans and women during the Jim-Crow Era. She was the first woman of any race to found and be president of a bank in the United States. Walker also founded and was the editor for St. Luke Herald newspaper, and managed a store 17 years before American women had the right to vote.
Walker died in Richmond on December 15, 1934.
In 1937, Maggie L. Walker High School was built and named in her honor; it was one of two schools for black students in the Richmond area during the time of racial segregation. In 2001, the high school, which had been abandoned since 1990, reopened as Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies. Read more on Walker on a story by GAYRVA.com here.
Her home and business are within walking distance for the planned monument.
“Not only will Richmond gain an important new monument that can reflect the diverse heritage and history of a significant local hero, but this effort will also underscore her role as a champion for civil rights on the national landscape,” said Mayor Jones in a press release. “Maggie Walker was a revolutionary leader in business, a champion for breaking down barriers between communities and showed incredible strength as a person that came out of extraordinarily challenging circumstances to create great things.”
The Public Art Commission led an extensive community process that asked the public what elements of Maggie Walker’s life should be reflected in the art work. “The images of her strength, perseverance and dedication to empower and educate were all consistent themes that will be reflected in the new monument,” according to the release.
Check back for updates as the project gets closer!
