Maggie Walker: A Brief Biography

Maggie Walker was born in July 1864 in Richmond, Virginia. She went to schools that were dedicated to the education of African Americans. She was a teacher until she got married in 1886, she was forced to leave teaching because of the schools stance on married teachers. In 1886 she made the decision to become more involved with the Independent Order of St. Luke, this organization was dedicated to the social and financial advancement of African Americans. Just three years later, in 1899, she became Grand Secretary of the organization. She remained in this position until her death in 1934 (The Biography.com website, 2015). Within a few years of becoming Grand Secretary Maggie shared her vision in a speech that she gave in 1901, and this is really where her transformation leadership showed. At the time she became the Grand Secretary, the Order of …show more content…
Throughout her life, she also had to overcome obstacles, yet she did not let these deter her from her vision. Maggie’s step father died in 1876, the official report said that he had drowned in the river by suicide. Maggie’s mother always believed that he was murdered. In general, just being an African American during this time was a challenge, however, Maggie continued to follow her dreams and vision. She managed to get her bank to survive the great depression by merging with two other banks. She managed this successfully as many banks were not able to survive. In 1915, Maggie’s son, Russell, mistakes his dad as an intruder and shot and killed him. During this same time frame Maggie was diagnosed with diabetes, despite these life events Maggie continued to be active in her public work. When her diabetes got to the point where she could not get around very well, she made a wheel chair and connected a desk so she could continue her work. Maggie was able to inspire people throughout her life and was a successful business