Alexandria's African American Heritage is quite varied; at one time Alexandria was home to one of the largest slave-trading businesses in the nation with Franklin, Armfield & Co. on Duke Street and now the City is governed by an African American Mayor William D. Euille.
During the Civil War Alexandria was a place of refuge when occupied by the Union Army. Schools were then built for African American children where they could learn and soon business opportunities opened up. The City is also where one of the first Civil Rights sit-ins was held in 1939 at the Alexandria Library.
On Sunday, October 16, 2011 the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation dedicated a memorial in his honor in Washington, D.C. Built on the National Mall adjacent to the Roosevelt Memorial and in direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials. The monument is designed to convey four fundamental and recurring themes in Dr. King's life: democracy, justice, hope, and love. <More>
The Edmonson sisters became figures of the anti-slavery movement after they tried to escape Alexandria and were caught. Their story sparked a national controversy as activists struggled to free them.
The founder of Alexandria's Apothecary Shop, Edward Stabler, was also a famous member of the anti-slavery movement. Stabler used his own money to buy slaves, then grant them freedom.
In the 1930's, famed Alexandria African American attorney Samuel W. Tucker was one of the architects of the Civil Rights Movement. Alexandria's Old Town district was established in 1946 as only the third historic district designated in the United States . Its remarkable concentration of historic buildings with a storied past create a rich backdrop for today's vibrant contemporary lifestyle.
Alexandria's African American history explifies the spectrum of black experience in the United States - from slavery to freedom, from freedom to equality, and from equality to integration. The award-winning "A Remarkable & Courageous Journey" tells the story of the tremendous courage and accomplishments of Alexandria's African Americans from the 18th to the 20th centuries.
Learn about Benjamin Banneker, who endured harsh conditions to help establish our nation's capital. Meet the Edmonsons, two enslaved sisters captured while making a daring run for freedom. Read about wounded United States Colored Troops who petitioned the Federal Government to allow black Civil War soldiers to be buried in the Soldier's Cemetery. Discover the five young black men who led a non-violent sit-in protest in Alexandria decades before the famous Greensboro, North Carolina sit-in.
View African American Historic Sites: Self-guided Tour in a larger map
