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. Contributors to the archive will receive a free ticket to the participating food trucks.
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 ask you to 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.
REGISTER AND DONATE ONLINE
Early donations are now being accepted online. If you are unable to attend the Reunion or would like to donate early, please complete our online donation form. If your items are already in digital format, you may also upload* them directly to our Archive.
* 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.
