Public in Name Only: The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In Demonstration
Join us for a lecture and book signing by the author!
The Lloyd House, 220 N. Washington Street
April 30 at 3 p.m., admission is complimentary with books available for purchase
Learn more about the Alexandria’s Library Sit-In – the first in the nation - from award winning author and scholar Brenda Mitchell-Powell! Hear firsthand the story of Samuel Tucker and a group of Black Alexandrians who were instrumental in the desegregation of the Alexandria Library. Through a combination of direct-action public protest, nonviolent civil disobedience, and municipal litigation, their tactics aligned with the larger national civil rights movement. While this campaign initially resulted in the creation of a “separate-and-unequal" Black library, now the location of today’s Alexandria Black History Museum, the sit-in demonstration represents a momentous early struggle for racial equity.
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This release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/4576.