Skip to main content
close
Font size options
Increase or decrease the font size for this website by clicking on the 'A's.
Contrast options
Choose a color combination to give the most comfortable contrast.
Image for event: Public in Name Only

Public in Name Only

The 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In Demonstration

2022-10-01 13:00:00 2022-10-01 14:00:00 America/New_York Public in Name Only Join author Brenda Mitchell-Powell as she discusses her recent publication "Public in Name Only." The talk will take place on the 2nd floor of the Barrett Library. Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library - Second Floor

Saturday, October 01
1:00pm - 2:00pm

Add to Calendar 2022-10-01 13:00:00 2022-10-01 14:00:00 America/New_York Public in Name Only Join author Brenda Mitchell-Powell as she discusses her recent publication "Public in Name Only." The talk will take place on the 2nd floor of the Barrett Library. Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library - Second Floor

Join author Brenda Mitchell-Powell as she discusses her recent publication "Public in Name Only." The talk will take place on the 2nd floor of the Barrett Library.

When Alexandria, Virginia's first public library was constructed just a few blocks from his home, Samuel Wilbert Tucker, a young, Black attorney, was appalled to learn that he could not use the library because of his race. Inspired by the legal successes of the NAACP in discrimination cases, he organized a grassroots protest to desegregate the library that his tax dollars supported.

Public in Name Only tells the important, but largely forgotten, story of Tucker and a group of Black citizens who agitated for change in the terms and conditions of their lives. Employing the combined strategies of direct-action public protest, nonviolent civil disobedience, and municipal litigation, Tucker's initiative dovetailed with the national priorities and tactics of larger civil rights organizations. While Tucker's campaign did not end with the desegregation of the Alexandria Library, but instead resulted in the creation of a “separate-and-unequal" Jim Crow Black branch, the sit-in demonstration represents a momentous early struggle for racial equity waged through civil rights activism.

Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library

jcahill@alexlibraryva.org
Phone: 703.746.1703
Fax: 703.746.1708

Hours
We're closed Monday September 02 due to Labor Day
Mon, Sep 02 Closed
(Labor Day)
Tue, Sep 03 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Sep 04 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Sep 05 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Sep 06 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sat, Sep 07 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Sep 08 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Parking: No library parking lot.  Street parking is available.  A paid parking lot is available on the 100 block of North Alfred Street. 

Public Transit:

  • Metrorail: Yellow and Blue lines at Braddock Road (1 mile) and King Street Stations (1.1 miles). 
  • Metrobus: 10A/B, 11C
  • DASH Bus: 30, 31, Old Town Circulator
  • King Street Trolley:  King & Columbus

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact jgregorio@alexlibraryva.org or call 703.746.1701 or TTY 703.746.1790.

Upcoming Events

Mon, Sep 09, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Second Floor
Please join Let's Talk Books club to read and discuss in person the cozy mystery, "The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree" by Susan Albert Wittig.

Tue, Sep 10, 11:00am - 11:45am
First Floor
Join Miss Lisa for songs, games, movement activities, and bubbles! Fun that's just right for ages 0-23 months

Tue, Sep 10, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Barrett Library has a volunteer available on Tuesdays to help with computer and technologies use. Appointments are available at 5 PM and 6 PM. Please call 703-746-1721 to schedule an appointment.

Rescheduled
Tue, Sep 10, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
New date Tuesday, October 22, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Join us for a talk with local poet, Miles Liss who will discuss the process of getting published and read from his newest collection "Some Inconvenient Poems." Copies will be available for sale. 

Thu, Sep 12, 11:00am - 11:40am
First Floor
Join Miss Lisa for stories, songs, movement and more fun just right for ages 2+

Thu, Sep 12, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
Second Floor
The Barrett Branch Mahjong group meets the second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 2 - 4 PM on the second floor. Accommodation is for 12 players so first come first served if more than 12.

Rescheduled
Sat, Sep 14, 10:00am - 11:00am
New date Saturday, September 28, 10:00am - 11:00am
The Barrett Branch is hosting an All We Can Save Circle open to all interested in sincere discussion centered on the climate crisis and for those seeking community rooted in wise and just solutions.

Sat, Sep 14, 11:00am - 3:00pm
Outdoors
The second-annual event reconnecting with each other, preserving our past, and strengthening our community.

Tue, Sep 17, 11:00am - 11:45am
First Floor
Join Miss Lisa for songs, games, movement activities, and bubbles! Fun that's just right for ages 0-23 months

Tue, Sep 17, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Barrett Library has a volunteer available on Tuesdays to help with computer and technologies use. Appointments are available at 5 PM and 6 PM. Please call 703-746-1721 to schedule an appointment.

Tue, Sep 17, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Join us for a discussion on Citizenship and Immigration 101Register