Maggie Lena Walker

Hello! My name is Maggie Lena Walker. A long, long time ago, in the year 1864, I was born in a city called Richmond, Virginia. When I was a little girl, I loved helping my mom and all of our neighbors. I had a big dream. I wanted to find a way for all my friends to work together to make our community a happy and wonderful place for everyone to live.

I saw that many hardworking people in my neighborhood did not have a safe place to keep their money. So, I had a big idea. I wanted to start a special bank just for us. It would be a place where everyone, even children, could bring their pennies to save them. In the year 1903, I opened the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. It was a place where my friends could save their money to buy their own homes and start their own businesses. It made me so happy to help them.

After I started the bank, I had another idea to help my community. I opened a big, beautiful store called a department store. It was a special place right in our neighborhood. People could find good jobs there, and they could also shop for all the things they needed for their families. It was a store for everyone.

I spent my life helping others build their dreams. I lived to be 70 years old. People remember me for showing everyone that when we all work together and save our pennies, we can make amazing things happen. Helping your community is one of the best things you can do.