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ALEXANDRIA LIBRARY BLACK FAMILY REUNION

Alexandria Library is hosting its first ever Black Family Reunion on Saturday, April 29, 2023. The event, at the Barrett Branch Library in Old Town, aims to bring neighborhoods together and help fill gaps in the documented history of Alexandria’s African American community.

African American families are invited to bring documents and images to be scanned and added to the Library’s Local History/Special Collections archive and preserved as part of the City’s historical record.

The event will feature music, games, food trucks, and more. Guests who bring a picture of people or places that have to do with Alexandria's black neighborhoods will receive a ticket for a free meal and dessert.

What:      Alexandria Library Black Family Reunion
When:     Saturday, April 29, 2023 from 11 am - 3 pm
Where:   Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
                717 Queen Street
                Alexandria, VA 22314

Black Family Reunion logo

WHAT TO EXPECT IF YOU ARE DONATING

To donate material during the Black Family Reunion event, please either fill out a registration form online beforehand, or complete a form at the donation table. A staff member may ask you questions about the material you are donating in order to catalog all the participants, dates, or other relevant details about your material.

Depending on how many items are being donated, staff may request that you leave the items at the Library to be scanned in the following days. Arrangements can then be made to pick up the materials once scanning is complete.

If you have further questions about the scanning and archiving process, or would like to arrange a time to meet with staff to donate a larger quantity of materials, please call the Local History/Special Collections Branch at 703-746-1706.

DONATE MATERIALS ONLINE OR PRE-REGISTER TO DONATE AT THE EVENT

Early donations of photos and documents are now being accepted online. If your items are already in digital format, you may upload* them directly to our Archive.

If you plan to attend the Reunion and donate materials in-person, you may also use the form below to pre-register.


DONATE Materials or register ONLINE


* If the total number of files exceeds 20 MB, please submit this form without file attachments, and then contact lhsc@alexlibraryva.org for additional instructions.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS


10:15am - 11am
Line Dancing
10:30am - 11am Children's Program including Fire Truck
10:30am - 3pm Registration Table open
10:30am - 3pm Tabling Partners open
11am Formal Welcome from Rose Dawson, Director of Libraries
11:05am Honorary Co-Chairs introduction from Library Board Chair Trudi Hahn
11:10am Purpose/Occassion: Honorary Co-Chairs Char McCargo Bah and Bill Euille
11:20am Reading of the Proclamation by Mayor Justin Wilson
11:30am Music from DJ
11:30am Food Trucks will begin serving lunch*
11:30am Photo Booth available
11:45am Games begin: Chalk art, Connect Four, Tic-Tac-Toe, cards, horseshoes
3pm Closing Remarks


* Guests who bring a photo or document to scan will receive a ticket for a free lunch and dessert.

FOOD VENDORS


Honorary Co-Chair

Bill Euille

Former Alexandria Mayor

"Our own memories—places, faces, and friends--are the foundations of what we record as history. If those memories are not preserved, so too is lost a piece of history. I was born and raised in Alexandria and I remember playing with friends, running up and down the streets. Our small 2-bedroom house at 510 N. Royal Street in the Berg neighborhood is gone. I want to help the Library collect pictures from that time to tell my story. Not just my story, but the story of many African Americans who grew up in Alexandria, and let those parts of history live on."

Honorary Co-Chair

Char McCargo Bah

Char McCargo Bah

Alexandria Living Legend

"At the intersection of genealogy and geography, we find community. As a genealogist, my research often involves looking into the past of Alexandria. Specifically, the African American history. Letters and photos are time capsules that can help preserve a community’s story. Sharing them with the Library means the story of our community will continue to be told long into the future."

Photo courtesy of Steven Halperson of Tisara Photography

The Alexandria Library Black Family Reunion is made possible by the Alexandria Library and by the generous support of an anonymous donor.

Updated: April 2023