ALEXANDRIA LIBRARY BLACK FAMILY REUNION

Alexandria Library is hosting its second annual Black Family Reunion on Saturday, September 14, 2024. 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, September 14, 2024 from 11 am - 3 pm
Where:   Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
                717 Queen Street
                Alexandria, VA 22314

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.

Local Legacies:
The Wood Family

A special event prior to the
Black Family Reunion

Kick off the 2024 Black Family Reunion by learning how Jason Wood, with the help of his family, was moved to donate a trove of pictures, documents, and records to the Local History/Special Collections Branch during last year's Black Family Reunion. Members of Wood's family have lived in Alexandria for many generations and helped shape the city in countless ways.

• What: Local Legacies: The Wood Family
• When: Saturday, September 14 at 10:30 AM
• Where: Local History/Special Collections, 717 Queen Street, Alexandria, VA

More information can be found at alexlibraryva.org/event/11596904.

Community organizations and non-profits are welcome to apply to be a vendor at this year's event. Contact Luis Labra at llabra@alexlibraryva.org for more information.

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