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.
Page updated on April 29, 2023 at 4:11 PM

Programs Offered

Tours may be arranged for camps, scout groups, home-schooled families and other groups, in addition to school groups. Visits include an introduction by museum staff, optional viewing of the short video Out of Obscurity about the 1939 sit-in, and gallery exploration. An opportunity to meet a long-time member of the local African American community can be arranged upon request.  

How to Schedule a Tour

Lessons are free to Alexandria City Public School groups, and $3 per person ($40 minimum) for all other groups. Chaperones are admitted free of charge. The maximum number of children allowed per visit is 40.

To book a visit, contact the Office of Historic Alexandria Education Coordinator Lauren Gleason at 703.746.4736 or through Alex311 at least three weeks in advance. A tour confirmation will be sent by email.

To visit more than one Alexandria site on the same day see Scheduling an Education Program with Historic Alexandria.

Outreach Kit: A Century of Just Women

This kit focuses on the contributions of Northern Virginia’s African American women. This kit is designed for fourth grade students and corresponds to the State of Virginia’s Standards of Learning. The kit was funded through a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. Kits may be rented from the Museum by calling 703.746.4356.

Lesson Plans: Teaching with Historic Places in Alexandria, Virginia

These two lessons feature significant African American Sites in Alexandria, Virginia. These lessons were inspired by the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places program.

Lesson Plans: Creating a More Perfect Community

Lessons on Reconstruction were developed by local teachers as part of a three-year project (2004-2006), funded by a Teaching American History Grant awarded to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS). This project was a partnership between ACPS, George Mason University's Center for History and New Media and Department of History and Art History, the Office of Historic Alexandria, and Northern Virginia Community College.

  • A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction (Elementary School)
  • The Rise and Fall of Reconstruction in Virginia (Elementary School)
  • Reconstruction (Middle School)
  • Civil War and Reconstruction (High School)