Come out for a night of community and conversation around an interesting topic in support of scholarships in the names of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas that will be awarded to two Alexandria City High School Seniors.

Twice a year, ACRP will host a simple dinner that will begin with remarks from a guest speaker before launching into a deeper discussion of an aspect of our shared history. We will invite practitioners, historians, authors and artists to share and lead us in meaningful conversations that will grow our community while remembering Mr. McCoy and Mr. Thomas in a way that provides new opportunities for Alexandria’s youth.

Dinners will be held in the Fall and Winter and will complement the Tables of Conscience book-themed fundraising gatherings. Each event can accommodate up to 40 guests at the historic Lloyd House dining room. Tickets for Discerning Dinners are $40 per person. 

The Underground Railroad
Featuring Historian and Author Tony Cohen
Thursday, November 5, 2026, 6-8:30 p.m.
Lloyd House Dining Room
220 N. Washington Street, Alexandria, Virginia

Our first community conversation dinner will feature a simple dinner and discussion of the Underground Railroad with Tony Cohen, co-founder of the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project. Cohen, an expert on the Underground Railroad, has explored it from Maryland to Canada and recently led a group on a walk through the history.  Learn more about Cohen’s work and his most recent trip to Niagara. 

The dinner will be held in the historic Lloyd House where Benjamin Hallowell, a Quaker who initiated the Lyceum where speakers and debates enlightened previous generations of Alexandrians, and who was part of the first white abolitionist society to take root in the city, once lived and taught school.

See below how to reserve your ticket.

Due to limited space and a desire to keep the conversations somewhat intimate, those who wish to participate must reserve their spot and then donate $40 to the Memorial Scholarship Program. 

Those interested in attending should:

1. reserve a space through our ticketing system; and 
2. make a donation of $40 per person on our campaign page at the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. (When donating, please do not check anonymous and please indicate that the donation is for the Discerning Dinner. This is the best way for us to match reservations to donations.)