Black-History.com is in its founding phase. Join the founding subscriber list →
Classroom · Grades 6–12

Maggie Lena Walker

Walker treated savings, homeownership, and jobs for Black women as forms of civil rights activism, building institutions that gave Black Richmonders economic power under Jim Crow.

Lesson at a Glance

Grades
Grades 6–12
Time
One class period (20–40 minutes)
Standards
NCSS Themes 7 (Production, Distribution, and Consumption) and 10 (Civic Ideals and Practices); C3 D2.Eco.3.6-8, D2.His.3.6-8
Reading
Maggie Lena Walker (profile)

Big Idea

Walker treated savings, homeownership, and jobs for Black women as forms of civil rights activism, building institutions that gave Black Richmonders economic power under Jim Crow.

Before Class

Students read the profile of Maggie Lena Walker, including the Key Dates and Sources.

Discussion Questions

  1. Walker’s bank accepted deposits as small as pennies and encouraged children to save. Why might small savings have mattered so much to a community locked out of white banks?
  2. The St. Luke Emporium closed in 1911 under pressure from white retailers and the reluctance of some Black shoppers. What does its failure reveal about the limits of economic strategies against segregation?
  3. Walker led a school strike as a student in 1883 and backed a streetcar boycott in 1904. How do those actions connect to her later business and political work?
  4. Historians describe Walker’s career as economic civil rights activism. Do you agree that building banks and businesses is a form of activism? Why or why not?

Activity

Students explore the National Park Service’s online museum exhibit of objects from Walker’s life and choose one artifact. Each student records what the object is, who might have used it, and what it suggests about Walker’s work or community. In small groups they combine their artifacts to build a short “museum label” explaining how the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank and the Order of St. Luke served Black Richmonders, drawing facts from the profile. Close by discussing how Walker’s vision of economic independence compares with the self-help argument in Booker T. Washington’s Atlanta Exposition Address (30–40 minutes).

Primary Sources

Cite this page
MLA
“Classroom lesson: Maggie Lena Walker.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/classroom/maggie-lena-walker/.
APA
Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Classroom lesson: Maggie Lena Walker. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/classroom/maggie-lena-walker/
Chicago
Black-History.com Editors. “Classroom lesson: Maggie Lena Walker.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/classroom/maggie-lena-walker/.
Editorial Note

By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.

← All lessons  ·  Read the profile →