Maggie L. Walker site debuts new educational videos for elementary school on YouTube

The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is unveiling two new educational films for first- and fourth-graders in late August on YouTube.

Written and produced by Richmond filmmaker Morgan Avery McCoy Harris, the films build on Standards of Learning, bringing Walker’s story to life. Walker was the first African American woman to charter a bank and serve as its president. She was also a businesswoman, newspaper editor and civil rights advocate.

In the first-grade film, “Blast into the Past: Meet Mrs. Maggie L. Walker,” Walker (portrayed by Kesha Afrika Lucas) grants an interview to a young Junior Ranger who has traveled in a time machine to meet her hero and ask questions for her student newspaper.

The fourth-grade film, “Maggie Walker Explains Jim Crow,” features Walker meeting three present-day students, explaining the injustices and institutionalized racism she and other Black Americans faced during her lifetime and how she challenged that system.

“Maggie Walker’s life and legacy serve as a powerful reminder to all of us of the power of individuals to change history,” said Doyle Sapp, superintendent of the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site, in a statement.

Both films will be available by late August on the park’s YouTube page at MaggieWalkerNPS — YouTube and on the park’s website at nps.gov/mawa. Teachers can also request to borrow a DVD by emailing Park Ranger Ben Anderson at Benjamin_Anderson@nps.gov.

The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is at 200 N. Second St. in Jackson Ward. It’s comprised of Walker’s historic home and several surrounding buildings. For more information, call (804) 226-5041 or visit www.nps.gov/mawa.