September 23
Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum
1-3:30 p.m.
Free.

ALL TICKETS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED

Freedom Rider Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, who also played a role in integrating Glen Echo Park, will speak to the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at The Lyceum. The event is free and begins with a social at 1 p.m., the program starts at 1:30 and includes a book signing. Mulholland will be joined by her son and documentarian Loki Mulholland for the presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. Her most recent book, “Get Back to the Counter,” as well as some children’s books about nonviolent protests will be available for purchase. Registration is needed due to the limited space – this event is first come first serve.

During the struggle for civil rights, Northern Virginian Trumpauer-Mulholland participated in more than 50 sit-ins and demonstrations including the Freedom Rides, the Jackson Woolworth’s sit-in, the March on Washington, the Meredith March, and the march from Selma to Montgomery. Mulholland, who is white, was often photographed, telling NPR in July 2020, "Overall, in the Civil Rights movement back then, it was mostly Black, and a white person really stood out, which was part of my role."

At that time in the South, Mulholland, a resident of Arlington, Va., put her personal relationships and safety at risk. Her mother disagreed with her and supported segregation. But Mulholland was determined to generate change beginning in grade school after a visit to her grandmother’s house in Georgia revealed how differently Black people were living. She said the Bible had taught her that “segregation was wrong. I wanted to make the South the best it could be for everybody.”

Those beliefs put her at the center of the nonviolent civil rights movement, it also landed her in jail multiple times including a two-month stint in Mississippi’s infamous prison known as “The Farm.” Her experience has also led her to pen a new book, Get Back to the Counter: Seven Lessons from Civil Rights Icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, a collection of essays that can be applied to our everyday lives and challenges readers to keep marching forward.

“My generation took care of legal segregation,” Mulholland told a WWLTV reporter in February, “now young folks need to take care of the racism that caused it all.”

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear Mulholland, an octogenarian, speak on Saturday, Sept. 23. Her books will be available for purchase, and she will be signing copies.

For the schedule, additional information, and registration, please visit The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project | Office of Historic Alexandria

The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) is a city-wide initiative dedicated to helping Alexandria understand its history of racial terror hate crimes and to work toward creating a welcoming community bound by equity and inclusion.

Visit us at https://www.alexandriava.gov/cultural-history/alexandria-community-remembrance-project.

To request reasonable disability accommodation, e-mail HistoricAlexandria@alexandriava.gov or call 703.746.4554, Virginia Relay 711.

For inquiries from the news media only, contact the Office of Communications & Public Information at newsroom@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3969. 

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This release is available at alexandriava.gov/go/4958.