Women Builders
Maggie Lena Walker
Maggie Lena Walker (1867–1934) was, even at an early age, involved in protesting the unequal treatment of African Americans. As a high school senior in Richmond, Virginia, she and her fellow African American classmates protested
the custom of having their graduation ceremony in a local church instead of the city theater where the graduation ceremony for white students
was held. This event was recorded as the first strike by African Americans of an
American school. After teaching high school for several years, Walker became an
agent for an insurance company which was devoted to women. In 1889 she became the
executive secretary of the Order of St. Luke, a charity organization
devoted to helping the poor. Fourteen years later, Walker became America's
first female bank president when she founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank.
Find out about this Woman Builder by visiting the Web site of the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site.
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