Sitting just south of the nation's capital, Alexandria has a long and storied history. Still, little is known of Alexandria's twentieth-century African American community. Experience the harrowing narratives of trials and triumph as Alexandria's African Americans helped to shape not only their hometown but also the world around them. Rutherford Adkins became one of the first black fighter pilots as a Tuskegee Airman. Samuel Tucker, a twenty-six-year-old lawyer, organized and fought for Alexandria to share its wealth of knowledge with the African American community by opening its libraries to all colors and creeds. Discover a vibrant past that, through this record, will be remembered forever as Alexandria's beacon of hope and light.
About the Author
Char McCargo Bah is a Senior Policy Writer for the federal government and also serves as a professional genealogist for the City of Alexandria's Freedmen's Cemetery Descendants Project. She is also the founder and writer of the blog The Other Alexandria and a recipient of the Alexandria Special History Award (2009). Audrey Davis is the Acting Director for the Alexandria Black History Museum. Davis has served as the president of the Alexandria Historical Society and president of the Virginia Association of Museums. She also sits on the Board of Trustees for Preservation Virginia. Gwendolyn Brown-Henderson is an Alexandria native, and a longtime member and president of the Missionary Society for the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Alexandria. Now retired, Brown-Henderson serves as president of the Alexandria Old School Alumni Association. James Henson is a retired Baltimore lawyer from Alexandria. He was the first African American to serve as Assistant County Solicitor for Howard County, Maryland, and has taught law at Morgan State University and Howard Community College. A bronze star recipient, he is a lifelong member of the NAACP and has received many awards from Maryland governors. Christa Watters is a writer, editor and community journalist who owns and operates WattersEdge, an editorial services business. Watters has worked for the Potomac Review, the Alexandria Gazette Packet and the Mount Vernon Gazette. She has also served on multiple committees through the city of Alexandria. William Euille is the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia. He is also the CEO of William D. Euille and Associates, a general contracting firm. He is the first African American mayor of Alexandria.
