Meet Mary Bowser, Your New Girl-Crush

Mary Bowser is cooler than you; and not just a little, but infinitely cooler! I’m sorry. You’re my friend and I like you bunches, but I have to give it to you straight. Here, let me explain.

Mary Bowser was born a slave. Her master, John Van Lew, was a prosperous hardware merchant in Richmond, Virginia. Following his death, Van Lew’s daughter Elizabeth set the family’s slaves free. Though Mary was free, she continued working for the Van Lews. When Elizabeth realized Mary’s cleverness, she financed her education at the Quaker School for Negroes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Read more »