#RisingLeaders: Great Great-Granddaughter of a Civil Rights Activist Carries Out Her Family Legacy in Advocating for Racial and Gender Equity

This fall, we’ll be announcing the first-ever recipients of PayPal’s Maggie Lena Walker Award, which recognizes and promotes the achievements of underrepresented women who have blazed new paths in their industries, demonstrated a commitment to economically empowering those in their communities, and are ultimately creating a more inclusive, dynamic and equal world. Ahead of this exciting announcement, I’m honored to feature Maggie Lena Walker’s great great-granddaughter, Liza Mickens, as the next spotlight in my #RisingLeaders series. Liza has dedicated her career to continuing her great great-grandmother’s legacy and furthering Maggie’s work in advancing racial justice and gender equality. Growing up in Richmond, Virginia as the daughter of two schoolteachers, Liza learned of her family’s history from a young age and understood the profound impact that Maggie Walker had not just within her own community, but on African American women throughout history, and ultimately on many generations that followed. Liza’s early experiences with public speaking inspired her to study communications at James Madison University, where she realized her passion for community organizing and the power of speech. In her role as co-founder and director of interns at VoteEqualityUS, Liza has been influential in ensuring constitutional gender equality through the recognition of the 28th Amendment and continues to serve as a role model for young leaders working to effect change in their own communities. She’s an incredible young woman with a bright future ahead and I know she will impact many by carrying out her great great-grandmother’s legacy.  

Liza Mickens is Co-Founder and Director of Interns at VoteEqualityUs, where she's working to ensure constitutional gender equality through the recognition of the 28th Amendment

Your great-great-grandmother, Maggie Lena Walker, was a dedicated civil rights activist who made history as the first woman and first Black woman to charter and run a bank. How have her contributions to society shaped your perspective on what it means to be an influential leader?

I think recognizing who she was serving in addition to what she was able to accomplish, is of equal importance. At the end of the day, her efforts were about racial uplift and gender equality. The fact that she was the first African American woman to found, charter and serve as president of a bank is absolutely exceptional, but what we must remember is who that was for—her community.

Part of her story that has really been forgotten is her political work and her work in activism, including registering hundreds of women to vote and running for office. She was the first woman of color to run for statewide office in Virginia—something that still has not been attained. At the end of the day, she did this to uplift women because women have faced a double-edged sword of oppression in this century for so long—battling systematic racism and institutionalized racism, but also battling the system of the patriarchy. In 1905, Maggie opened the Saint Luke Emporium, which was a department store that offered Black women opportunities for work and the Black community access to affordable products. The work that she did at the Emporium is of equal importance to everything if not more, because it made her the largest employer of black women in print; it was staffed by primarily black women and further exemplifies the double-edged sword black women were facing at the time. The Emporium gave black women the opportunity to start careers outside of domestic roles, but also to see themselves in fashion. I think that recognizing her connection to fashion is important because she restored dignity to fashion for women at the turn of the century.

What is the first thing you wanted to be when you grew up? Has it changed since then?

I grew up public speaking and was really confident at it. My teachers would tell me during school that I needed to focus a little bit more in class and that it wasn’t “talking time.” Then I went to college and realized that there was a whole major on just “talking time.” I love to talk to people and I think that there’s such an important story that we all hold—I love being able to explore that.

Now, I’m currently working on a campaign with a senator whom I adore and have grown up admiring. I have never truly wanted to get involved in politics until recent years—it just wasn’t something I thought about growing up. But, in last year’s celebration of the 19th Amendment we’re all realizing how far we’ve come in 100 years as well as how far we have yet to go.

Liza at the launch of the VA ratify ERA campaign, which aimed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia

What events, influences, and/or moments in your life or career inspired you to get involved in the work you’re doing today?

My parents were born in the 40s and 50s, and grew up segregated in Richmond, Virginia. They were both teachers, so every car ride was a history lesson. While I was growing up, they made sure I recognized my history and knew where I came from. Since I was five years old, I have been speaking publicly on behalf of my family in my hometown of Richmond. My early experiences in communications were an indicator of my future career path. I studied communications at James Madison University and honed in on my communications skills. I love the aspect of community organizing and the importance of speaking, so the story of my inspiration has continued to evolve as I evolve with it.

In your current role as co-founder and director of interns at VoteEqualityUS, you’re working to ensure constitutional gender equality through the recognition of the 28th Amendment. What advice do you have for people who are passionate about enacting change within their communities?

I think in many of these important conversations, young people are leading and taking charge but are still somehow forgotten at the table. One thing I’ve realized about my work with VoteEqualityUS is that I’m usually the youngest person in the conversation. My biggest piece of advice would be to get involved and advocate for causes you care about because it’s important to have a seat at the table.

With regard to gender equality in particular, it’s important to make sure that the Equal Rights Amendment is in our Constitution, and most of all to ensure that people recognize the power in the polls and the power they possess in everyday life to affect change in this country.

Liza at the Celebrate!38 event celebrating Virginia becoming the 38th and final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment

Inspiring stories like your great great-grandmother’s remind us of the trials and triumphs people have made throughout history to create a more equal world. Why is it important to highlight the stories of powerful leaders throughout history that may have gone unnoticed or unrecognized?

I think it’s super important to realize where we come from and our history. I’m very blessed to be connected to a remarkable woman like Maggie Lena Walker, but also to know my history because a lot of African American communities and families disturbed by the institution of slavery, do not have this privilege. It’s incredible that her story is becoming popularized, and we’ve done a good job at preserving it, but I think that there is a national need for people to know about Maggie Walker, so getting her recognized as a national thinker and making sure she can serve as a source of inspiration for young girls going forward is important to me.

It’s easy to think of historical figures as deified and to put them on a pedestal, but it’s really important to remember that they’re humans as well. An important aspect to recognize about Maggie Walker’s life and her accomplishments is that they were not without serious struggles and tragedies. Maggie’s story is ever evolving, which is important to highlight because that’s something we all experience as Americans. It’s humanizing to realize that we all go through so many different things over the course of our lives, yet above all else it’s important to stay true to helping people. Maggie is an incredible inspiration for perseverance and bringing Black women together, so I want her to continue to leave a legacy of inspiration for others.

Follow #RisingLeaders to stay up to date on the series, and share with me a rising leader in your life – it can be someone you know personally or someone you haven’t met, but from whom you draw inspiration.