African American History Division

This division, formed in 2023, will ensure the continued inclusion of Black History in City museums and public programming, as well as advancing the City’s goal of building a welcoming community through equity and inclusion.
Page updated on April 8, 2025 at 9:50 AM
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African American History Division

Since 1982, the role of the Office of Historic Alexandria has expanded beyond the walls of its museums to historic interpretation of the whole City. The African American History division is a part of a larger reorganization of OHA, which will prioritize resident outreach, improve visitor experience, and regularly engage residents in City initiatives. This division will ensure the continued inclusion of Black History in City museums and public programming, as well as advancing the City’s goal of building a welcoming community through equity and inclusion.

Wreath in memory of Joseph McCoy, lynched in 1897 (2021)

In Memoriam 2025: Joseph McCoy April 23, 1897

On April 23, join ACRP at Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, the home church for the McCoy family, to hear an address by leading scholar Robert P. Jones, The New York Times Best Selling author of The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future.

Exhibit: Moss H. Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image

Moss H. Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image Exhibit

Moss Kendrix Collection

"Moss H. Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image" is a new exhibit at the Alexandria Black History Museum. Celebrating the life and pioneering work of Kendrix, "The Father of Black P.R.," this exhibition showcases his groundbreaking campaigns and enduring influence on consumer culture.

Programs and Events

Juneteenth sign: Celebrating with the Alexandria Black History Museum

Programs and Events

Learn about our annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Black History Month, Juneteenth and Kwanzaa programs and upcoming events.

Washington Revels, Jubilee Voices (Photo, Tim Ervin/NPS)

Virtual Programming

Watch lectures, concerts and more about Alexandria's African American history and culture.

The Equal Justice Initiative pillar records two documented lynchings in Alexandria

Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

Since 2019, the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) has been dedicated to helping Alexandria understand its history, including incidents of racial injustice and terror, because recognizing the truth is necessary to establish a welcoming and just community for all.

Museums

Alexandria Black History Museum

Black History Museum

The Black History Museum at 902 Wythe Street is located in the 1940 Robert H. Robinson Library. The Museum uses its large collection to inspire the public to explore the integral relationship between African American history and other cultural traditions, through exhibits and public programs.

Watson Reading Room

Watson Reading Room

The Watson Reading Room currently has over 4,000 holdings documenting African American history. Books, periodicals, dissertations, and theses are accessible by patrons. This library is a non-circulating facility.

Freedom House Museum with historic marker (credit, R. Kennedy for Visit Alexandria)

Freedom House Museum

The Freedom House Museum at 1315 Duke Street honors the lives and experiences of the enslaved and free Black people who lived in and were trafficked through Alexandria.

Parks and Trails

Alexandria African American Heritage Park

Alexandria African American Heritage Park

The Park on Holland Lane is open dawn to dusk. Sculptures throughout the park commemorate historic African American Neighborhoods and the people known and unknown buried in the historic Black Baptist Cemetery on this site. 

Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial with sculpture and wall of names

Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial

The Memorial at 1001 S. Washington Street is open dawn to dusk. The Memorial is on the site of a cemetery that served as the burial place for about 1,800 African Americans who fled to Alexandria to escape from bondage during the Civil War.

cover of GIS StoryMap for AAHT North Route

African American Heritage Trail

Alexandria's African American history is told through an online StoryMap and can be experienced in-home on your computer or on your smartphone as you walk the trails along the Potomac River.

History

1939 Sit-In at Alexandria Library

History of Alexandria's African American Community

Alexandria's African American history includes a vibrant Black population dating to the 18th century, one of the largest slave trading operations, and America's first Sit-Down Strike in the early days of the Civil Rights movement.

Parker-Gray students and faculty, old school (catalogue BHM2012-2-548)

History of the Parker-Gray Schools

The Parker-Gray School provided African American children with comprehensive education at a time when segregation and lack of resources, teachers, and facilities threatened what is now understood as a fundamental right of every child.

Watson Reading Room Interior with tables and bookshelves

Online and Other Resources

Explore these books, brochures and lesson plans to learn more about the history of Alexandria's African American community.

Two people speaking into recording microphones

Oral History Center

The Alexandria Oral History Center is a community-driven collaboration to document and preserve the memories and stories of Alexandria. Search the Online Oral History Archive for transcriptions about the African American community, and learn how you can share your story.

The Fort Heritage Trail Sign: From Civil War to Civil Rights

The Fort: A Post-Civil War Community

After the Civil War, a neighborhood known as The Fort grew up around Fort Ward, one of the Union forts built as part of the Defenses of Washington. Learn about the history and archaeology, and about the Interpretive Plan for Fort Ward Park that will include the history of this community.

Out of the Attic article, Alexandria Times

Out of the Attic Archives

"Out of the Attic" has appeared in the Alexandria Times newspaper since 2007. Search the archives to learn more about the African American community.

Douglass Cemetery Entrance, October 2021

Douglass Memorial Cemetery

Douglass Memorial Cemetery, located at 1421 Wilkes Street, was established in 1895 as a segregated, nondenominational African American cemetery. The historic burial ground faces several preservation challenges. The City of Alexandria is developing plans to study and determine solutions that are respectful and appropriate to the sensitive nature of the site.
Report cover with image of 1315 Duke

Comprehensive Plan: Freedom House Museum

The Office of Historic Alexandria is engaging with the community and stakeholders to create the Comprehensive Plan for the Freedom House Museum at 1315 Duke Street. The Comprehensive Plan will provide a road map for the future use, interpretation, and preservation of the site.
Fort Ward Park Entrance Sign at Braddock Road

Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Management Plan

Learn about the Fort Ward Park and Museum Area Management Plan and how it is being implemented. Learn the history of the African American community known as The Fort, and what is being done to preserve and interpret its historic resources during park improvements.
Participants at the 5th anniversary walk through the gates into the cemetery

Visit Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial

A candlelight vigil marked the 10th anniversary of the Memorial's dedication. The Memorial honors the hundreds of African Americans who died in Alexandria during the Civil War. Many were refugees from bondage in Maryland and Virginia, who were seeking protection under Union soldiers. Learn about this community and the cemetery's history and preservation.
Wreath in memory of Benjamin Thomas, lynched on August 8, 1899 (2020)

In Memoriam 2024: Benjamin Thomas August 8, 1899

View a photo gallery of the 2024 memorial held at Shiloh Baptist Church. Rachel Laser spoke about the growth of the parents' rights movement, which is made up of organizations considered to be hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center.