Posts in VPM
In 1918 Pandemic, Black Richmond Faced New Virus and Old Racism
In 1918 Pandemic, Black Richmond Faced New Virus and Old Racism

On October 12, 1918, Maggie Walker was interrupted from her work with a call from the governor.

Walker had a full plate. She was the first African American woman to charter a bank, and a leader in Richmond’s Black community.

Governor Westmoreland Davis needed Walker’s help. The influenza pandemic was ravaging Richmond, with the Richmond Times-Dispatch reporting 549 deaths by the end of that month.

Read More
VPMAlex FultonHistory, 1918 Pandemic, Racism, Audio, Week 6
A Public Calamity
A Public Calamity

From The Future of America’s Past—
Governors nationwide have moved to reopen their states, even as the coronavirus crisis continues to grow. This impulse has a precedent: it’s what many towns, including Richmond, Virginia, did during the 1918 flu — a global health crisis that killed more than 50 million people worldwide, and more Americans than all 20th- and 21st-century wars combined.

Read More
VPMAlex FultonVirginia, 1918 Pandemic, History, Video, Week 6