Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

This city-wide social justice initiative is inspired by the Equal Justice Initiative and the work of Bryan Stevenson to tell the truth of and acknowledge our shared history. Alexandria is committed to better understanding our past and its impact on our Black residents in our effort to create a more equitable and just community.
Page updated on September 23, 2026 at 11:43 AM
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Procession with wreath passing house with flag.

The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) is a city-wide initiative dedicated to helping Alexandria understand our shared history in an effort to create a welcoming community and a culture of belonging.

Members of the ACHS Remembrance Student Club tour the Freedom House Museum.

ACRP Projects

ACRP is dedicated to finding ways to research and share our history with Alexandrians and visitors in an effort to build a relationship with our past that will move us toward truth and reconciliation. Learn about major projects, ongoing and from past years.

Alexandria Community Remembrance Project Newsletter, with image of pillars at EJI

ACRP Newsletters

Each month, ACRP features stories from Alexandria’s lesser-known history, and keeps the community up to date on upcoming programs and related events. Current and past issues are here, or sign up to get the newsletter sent directly to your inbox. 

Image of a wreath with a ribbon with the words Joseph McCoy, April 23, 1897 written across it.

The Lynching of Joseph McCoy

On April 23, 1897, 19-year-old Alexandrian Joseph McCoy, who was arrested without a warrant the evening before, was dragged from his cell by a mob and brutally lynched at the southeast corner of Cameron and Lee Streets.

Wreath in memory of Benjamin Thomas, lynched on August 8, 1899 (2020)

The Lynching of Benjamin Thomas

Around midnight on August 8, 1899, 16-year-old Benjamin Thomas was lynched by a white terror mob comprised of Alexandria citizens who attacked the city jail on St. Asaph Street. Thomas was dragged half a mile to southwest corner of King and Fairfax streets where he was lynched from a lamp post.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice includes over 800 steel monuments, or pillars, one for each county in the United States where a racial terror lynching took place.

Committee Work

The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project is directed by a Steering Committee that meets monthly. Since 2019, ACRP has formed additional committees that take on different phases of our work. Learn about the Steering Committee, as well as current and past committees.

Alexandria Community Remembrance Project

Inspired by the work of Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), City Council formed the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project in 2019, initially to participate in EJI's Remembrance Project. After researching the lynchings of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas, establishing historic markers acknowledging this history, holding soil collection ceremonies, an essay contest and participating in a pilgrimage to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, ACRP continues on our path to help Alexandrians and visitors better understand our shared history. Recognizing the truth about the past is an act of justice and is necessary to support a culture of belonging among all Alexandrians.  The Office of Historic Alexandria's African American History Division heads up the work and is directed by a Steering Committee. Since 2019, the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) has been dedicated to helping residents and visitors understand our shared history. 

The best way to learn about ACRP and to get involved is to sign up to have ACRP's eNews delivered to your inbox.

Sign up for eNews    Donate to  ACRP    

Table of Concience

Tables of Conscience Fundraiser

October 24, 2026
ACRP is holding book-themed dinner parties hosted in the homes of ACRP members. The evenings provide an opportunity to discuss a social justice themed book with 8-12 people.

New! Discerning Dinner Fundraisers

Graphic of pan with words Discerning Dinners, Community, Food, and Conversation

Discerning Dinners Fundraisers

November 5, 2026
In addition to the popular Tables of Conscience book-themed fundraising dinners, ACRP is launching community dinner discussions with featured guest speakers to raise money for the annual Memorial Scholarship Program. Each dinner will have a guest speaker who will share a recent experience, publication or knowledge about issues important to the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project and spur a discussion with participants. The menus will be simple, as we are gathering for the community and the conversation. We will be able to accommodate 40 guests at each dinner which will be held in the dining room of the historic Lloyd House. A donation of $40 will get you a seat at the table. Read more and reserve a space.

Give to the McCoy & Thomas Memorial Scholarships

ACRP has established two scholarships to recognize and remember this City’s known lynching victims: Joseph McCoy (1897) and Benjamin Thomas (1899). We have partnered with the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria to provide a $3000 scholarship to two Alexandria City High School students in 2024. Make a donation to memorialize McCoy and Thomas for the future generations.

Donate Now

Lynchings in Alexandria

Between 1877 and 1950, 99 Virginians, including at least 11 in Northern Virginia, were lynched. The lynchings were among 6.500 reported nationwide during the same period. Lynching was not a federal offense until March 29, 2022.

In Alexandria, there is documentation of the lynching of two individuals, Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas. See below for narratives of the lynchings. The City of Alexandria wishes to thank the members of the Research Committee for their more than 3,000 hours of work on the narratives.

The Lynching of Joseph McCoy: A Narrative     

The Lynching of Benjamin Thomas: A Narrative

FAQs about Lynchings in Virginia