Alexandria Black History Museum

The mission of the Black History Museum is to enrich the lives of Alexandria's residents and visitors, to foster tolerance and understanding among all cultures and to stimulate appreciation of the diversity of the African American experience.
Page updated on January 24, 2023 at 3:22 PM

Alexandria Black History Museum

The Alexandria Black History Museum includes the Museum, the Watson Reading Room, and the Alexandria African American Heritage Park. Other African American historic sites in Alexandria include the Freedom House Museum, the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial, and sites along the African American Heritage Trail.

Photo of Martin Luther King Jr. at a lectern

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program

The City of Alexandria invited the community to join the 50th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program on Sunday, January 15. Watch a video of the program, and scroll to the bottom of the page to see the entries for the Student Poster Exhibition.

Upcoming Events

Visit the Museum and Related Sites

Alexandria Black History Museum

Visit the Alexandria Black History Museum

The Museum is closed for renovation. When we reopen, this page has everything you need to plan your visit.

Watson Reading Room

Watson Reading Room

The Watson Reading Room currently has over 3,000 holdings documenting African American history and is available for research by appointment.

Alexandria African American Heritage Park

Alexandria African American Heritage Park

The Park, on Holland Lane, is open dawn to dusk.

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

Freedom House Museum

The Museum, at 1315 Duke Street, is closed for renovation until further notice. Look for expanded exhibits on Alexandria’s role in the domestic slave trade when we reopen.

Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial with sculpture and wall of names

Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial

Located at 1001 S. Washington Street. Open dawn to dusk.

Historic Alexandria: African American Heritage Trail

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 trail along the Potomac River.

History, Collections and Programs

Robert H. Robinson Library, ca. 1940

History of the Museum

Learn about the 1939 Sit-Down Strike and the Robert H. Robinson Library.

Moss Kendrix CocaCola Ad Set-Up

Collections

Read about the Museum’s collections, including Moss Kendrix (pictured above), and see selected collections online, including the Black Lives Remembered Collection, Carlton Funn, and the Parker-Gray Archives.

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. View lectures and concerts online.

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.

The Equal Justice Initiative pillar records two documented lynchings in Alexandria

Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

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. Learn more, read the newsletter, and become involved.

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

The Fort: A Post-Civil War Community

Learn about the history and archaeology of The Fort: A Post-Civil War African American Community, and about the Interpretive Plan for Fort Ward Park that will include the full range of its history, especially including the African American experience.

In Memoriam

Hall of pillars at the EJI museum

ACRP Pilgrimage to EJI, Montgomery Alabama

The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP), members of the community and ACHS students went on a pilgrimage to the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum, delivering soil collected from locations that symbolically reflect the lives of Alexandria’s two known lynching victims – Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas.
McCoy Remembrance Ceremony 2022

Soil Collection Remembrance Event

On September 24 the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) held a Soil Collection Ceremony in memory of Alexandria’s two lynching victims, Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas.
McCoy wreath close-up with ribbon "Joseph McCoy April 23, 1897" (2021)

In Memoriam 2022: Joseph McCoy April 23, 1897

Watch a video of the memorial for Joseph McCoy. The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) marked the 125th year since Joseph McCoy was brutally lynched, through a community reflection on Saturday, April 23.

More Information

Contact the Museum

Alexandria Black History Museum
902 Wythe Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22314 
703.746.4356

Contact the Museum (Alex311)

Mission Statement

The mission of the Alexandria Black History Museum is to enrich the lives of Alexandria’s residents and visitors, to foster tolerance and understanding among all cultures and to stimulate appreciation for the diversity of the African American experience.  The Alexandria Black History Museum accomplishes its mission by inspiring the public to explore the integral relationship between Alexandria’s African American heritage and other cultural traditions.

Educational Resources

Educational Resources at the Alexandria Black History Museum

The Alexandria Black History Museum offers a variety of tours and programs for students of all ages. Schedule a visit, borrow an outreach kit, and see lesson plans.

Rentals and Private Events

Rentals and Private Events at Alexandria Black History Museum

The Museum and the adjacent Watson Reading Room can be rented for private events.

Virtual Programming at the Black History Museum

Virtual Programming at the Alexandria Black History Museum

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

Volunteering

Volunteering at the Black History Museum

Share your skills, enthusiasm and time by volunteering at the Black History Museum. Some volunteer activities may take place at other locations such as Freedom House Museum and the African American Heritage Park.