Extra credit if you can guess the year also! It starts with 19__. 

Answer: Maggie Walker

Questions: 

• What do you think motivated Maggie Walker to start a bank in 1903? 
• What role do banks play in supporting communities? How do they help the local economy? 

Here are the ready-to-go slides for this Question of the Day that you can use in your classroom.

Behind the numbers (National Park Service):

In 1903 she founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank. Mrs. Walker served as the bank's first president, which earned her the recognition of being the first African American woman to charter a bank in the United States. Later she agreed to serve as chairman of the board of directors when the bank merged with two other Richmond banks to become The Consolidated Bank and Trust Company. Until 2009, the bank thrived as the oldest continually African American-operated bank in the United States.

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Check out other Black History Month resources in our latest email!

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 This video highlights Maggie Walker's life and achievements. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.