Virginia SR 23: Commending the Maggie L. Walker Statue and Plaza.

Bill Text

2022SESSION
ENROLLED
SENATERESOLUTIONNO.23
Commending the Richmond Public Art Commission.
AgreedtobytheSenate,March9,2022
WHEREAS, the Richmond Public Art Commission, in coordination with dedicated citizens, enabled
the construction and completion of the Maggie L. Walker Statue and Plaza in 2017 after a decades-long
campaign to honor the life and legacy of Maggie L. Walker; the site serves as a unique monument to
the advancements and achievements of women and members of the Black community in Richmond; and
WHEREAS, Maggie Walker touched countless lives through her roles as an entrepreneur, educator,
and trailblazing leader in banking; as the founder of St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, she became the first
woman in the United States to charter and serve as president of a bank; and
WHEREAS, Maggie Walker also served on the boards of many community organizations, such as
the National Association of Colored Women and the Virginia Industrial School for Girls, was the vice
president of the Richmond branch of the NAACP, and established a local newspaper, the St. Luke
Herald; and
WHEREAS, soon after Maggie Walker's death in 1934, concepts were developed for a monument
honoring her life and legacy; however, these efforts gained little traction until the late 1990s after the
placement of the Arthur Ashe Monument; and
WHEREAS, thanks in large part to the determined advocacy of the Richmond Public Art
Commission, the Richmond Planning Commission approved the construction of the Maggie L. Walker
Statue and Plaza in 2016; and
WHEREAS, the 10-foot bronze statue of Maggie Walker was designed by Maryland-based artist
Antonio Tobias Mendez and features low-relief panels depicting Maggie Walker's myriad contributions
to the community, while the surrounding plaza was completed by the engineering firm VHB of Boston
and incorporates benches adorned with important dates and events from her life; and
WHEREAS, the Maggie L. Walker Statue and Plaza serves as a gateway to Jackson Ward, one of
Richmond's most prominent historically Black neighborhoods, which is also the location of the Maggie
L. Walker National Historic Site at her former residence; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate of Virginia, That the Richmond Public Art Commission hereby be
commended for its role in the creation of the Maggie L. Walker Statue and Plaza and its contributions
to historical interpretation and cultural life in Richmond; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for
presentation to the Richmond Public Art Commission as an expression of the Senate of Virginia's
appreciation for the importance of the Maggie L. Walker Statue and Plaza.
ENROLLED
SR23ER