Rosa L. Dixon Bowser was born enslaved at Clay Hill plantation in Amelia County and became an educator and social reformer. Educated in Richmond's public schools, she taught school, supervised teachers, and helped form the first African American teachers association in Virginia, later serving as its president. As a leader in women's clubs and African American reform organizations, she sought improvements in health care, legal aid, support for young mothers, and education for disadvantaged children. She also helped found the National Association of Colored Women, which worked against lynching and segregation and for women's suffrage. The Richmond Public Library's branch for Black patrons was named for her.