I write with renewed disquiet over what appears to be the stalling of the Maggie Walker statue at the corner of Broad and Adams streets in Downtown.

As I sat in the Richmond Public Art Commission meeting Tuesday, given recent racially charged events around the United States in which African-Americans are targets of discrimination and death, my feelings centered around what I believe to be another slight to the legacy of Maggie Lena Walker, and to the statue in her honor.

One of the commissioner members, sculptor Paul DiPasquale stated that there has been a “rushed” timeline on completing a statue of Mrs. Walker’s image. I thought: By what measurement does he draw such a conclusion?

According to history’s calculation, there was public support for a statue in honor of Mrs. Walker in the late 1930s. Likewise, as the Maggie Walker Foundation was established in the mid-1970s, public sentiments for Mrs. Walker in bronze grew. By 1998, there was serious discussion in City Council by then-Councilman Bill Johnson for a statue.

This timeline for a statue honoring Maggie L. Walker spans 80 years. How long must the citizens of Richmond — and the nation — wait for a statue to a national shero?

We must guard against disparate treatment against Mrs. Walker — the first woman in Richmond to be honored with a statue. Simply put, the federal government has moved to honor Maggie Walker by designating her home a national historic site. Why has the City of Richmond taken more than 80 years to honor her?

GARY L. FLOWERS

Richmond