It hasn’t even been a century since the first Richmond public library branch open to Black Richmonders was completed.
It was named for Rosa Bowser, an educator and civic leader who was born enslaved and played a key role in implementing reforms that affected Virginia’s Black community.
When the Civil War ended, her family moved to Richmond and her parents enrolled her in public school where she was exceptional in English, math, reading and music. Her aptitude was noticed and she was selected for teacher training at the Richmond Normal and High School, graduating with the second-highest marks in the class of 1872–1873. Still eager to continue learning, she remained in school for an additional year to study Greek, Latin, music, and teaching strategies.
Because she regarded the community as her extended family, Bowser formed literary circles where she taught childrearing and housekeeping techniques. After a stint staying home to raise her son and teach music and Sunday school, the city school board appointed her to teach in the primary grades at Navy Hill School in 1883. Within a year, Bowser was made supervisor of teachers at the Baker School and in 1896 she was made principal teacher in the night school for men. Academics aside, she also taught classes in social skills at the YMCA in Jackson Ward.
The Black History Museum is hosting “An Afternoon of History: Rosa Bowser, Richmond Public Library and the Black History Museum of Virginia,” a presentation by historian Elvatrice Belsches. Bowser’s life story is interwoven with the history of 00 Clay Street in Jackson Ward which was the first site of the BHMVA and prior to that, the former location of the Rosa Bowser Branch of the Richmond Public Library.
Belsches calls Bowser a brilliant educator of educators and students.
“She was also an integral leader in the Negro Reformatory Movement, which sought to provide alternatives to the incarceration of Black children,” she says. “She was active in women’s suffrage and utilized her prolific fundraising skills to mitigate the effects of health care disparities.”
The city purchased 00 Clay Street to house the Rosa D. Bowser Branch, which occupied the site for over three decades. The building was briefly used by Open High School before becoming home to the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia in June 1991.
In addition to the presentation, there will be two curated tours of the Black History Museum’s “Forging Freedom, Justice and Equality” exhibit. The exhibition celebrates the museum’s 40th anniversary and is divided into six themes – “Before Freedom Came; In My Father’s House; Tell Them We are Rising; The Business of Commerce, Organizations, and the Black Press; The Black Military Experience; and Arts, Sports and Entertainment.” The interactive exhibition demonstrates extraordinary examples of agency in Black Virginians’ quest for freedom, justice, and equality over several centuries.
After Belsches’ talk, Richmond Public Library staff will host oral history recording sessions in conjunction with their Stories and Memories project. As part of Richmond Public Libraries’ 100th anniversary celebration, the Stories and Memories Project is committed to producing an accurate, thorough and inclusive record of RPL’s first century serving the city by recording people’s memories about the library and its branches.
That’s where the Rosa Bowser branch of the Richmond Public Library comes in. “My belief is that in the pantheon of great leaders, educators and humanitarians, Mrs. Bowser should loom large for her lifelong dedication and success in uplifting virtually every facet of life for legions of underrepresented citizen,” Belsches says. “Her impact was national in scope.”
An afternoon of history: Rosa Bowser, Richmond Public Library and the Black History Museum of Virginia will be held on Saturday, April 29th at noon in the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, 122 W. Leigh St. To register, visit https://buff.ly/3JW7cKP
