A RIGHT WORTHY WOMAN

In the vein of The Engineer's Wife and Carolina Built, this is an inspiring novel based on the remarkable true story of the indomitable Maggie Lena Walker, the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman and the first Black woman to establish and preside over a bank in the United States.

Maggie Lena Walker was ambitious and unafraid. Her childhood in 19th-century Virginia helping her mother with her laundry service opened her eyes to the overwhelming discrepancy between the Black residents and her mother's affluent white clients. She vowed to not only secure the same kind of home and finery for herself, but she would also help others in her community achieve the same.

With her single-minded determination, Maggie buckled down and went from schoolteacher to founder of a newspaper, a bank, and a department store where Black customers were treated with respect. With the help of influential friends like W.E.B. DuBois and Mary McLeod, she revolutionized Richmond in ways that are still felt today. Now, her rich, full story is revealed in this stirring and intimate novel.

Ruth P. Watson is the author of Blackberry Days of Summer, An Elderberry Fall, Cranberry Winter, and Strawberry Spring. She is a freelance writer and member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and has written for Upscale, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other publications.