Old Town West in Alexandria, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Alexandria Library Sit-In

Photographed By Don Morfe, February 28, 2015

1. Alexandria Library Sit-In Marker

Inscription. On 21 August 1939, five young African American men applied for library cards at the new Alexandria Library to protest its whites-only policy. After being denied, William Evans, Edward Gaddis, Morris Murray, Clarence Strange, and Otto L. Tucker each selected a book from the shelves, sat down, and read quietly. The men were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct despite their polite demeanor. Local attorney Samuel W. Tucker, who helped plan the protest, represented them in court. The judge never issued a ruling. In 1940, Alexandria opened the Robert Robinson Library for African Americans. Desegregation of the library system began by 1959.

Erected 2008 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number E-88.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1939.

Location. 38° 48.457′ N, 77° 2.793′ W. Marker is in Alexandria, Virginia. It is in Old Town West. Marker is at the intersection of N. Washington Street and Queen St., on the right when traveling south on N. Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 N, Washington St, Alexandria VA 22314, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Lloyd House (within shouting distance of this marker); Elisha Cullen Dick, M.D. (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Alexandria Library Sit-In (within shouting distance of this marker); Alexandria Quaker Burial Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Street (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of First Synagogue of Beth El Hebrew Congregation (about 300 feet away); Lodge No. 38, Independent Order of Odd Fellows (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Historic Street (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Alexandria.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. To better understand the relationship, study each marker in the order shown.

Also see . . . Alexandria library sit-in arrest charges are dismissed... by Patricia Sullivan, The Washington Post, Oct. 21, 2019.
Circuit Court Chief Judge Lisa Bondareff Kemler... signed an order Friday stating that William Evans, Edward Gaddis, Morris Murray, Clarence Strange and Otto Tucker were “lawfully exercising their constitutional rights to free assembly, speech and to petition the government to alter the established policy of sanctioned segregation at the time of their arrest” and that “sitting peacefully in a library reading books... was not in any fashion disorderly or likely to cause acts of violence.” (Submitted on October 24, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

Photographed By Don Morfe, February 28, 2015

2. Alexandria Library Sit-In Marker

The Alexandria Library - Kate Waller Barret Branch - at 717 Queen Street. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 15, 2013

3. The Alexandria Library - Kate Waller Barret Branch - at 717 Queen Street.

Site of the 1939 library sit-in described on the marker which is located around the corner on North Washington Street.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, April 3, 2015

4. Alexandria Library Sit-In Marker

looking southward along the North Washington Street sidewalk - with the Queen Street intersection visible in the background on the right.

The Alexandria Library 1794 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015

5. The Alexandria Library 1794

Kate Waller Barrett Memorial Building 1937 image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015

6. Kate Waller Barrett Memorial Building 1937

The Kate Waller Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015

7. The Kate Waller Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library

Library the Scene of Human Rights Action image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015

8. Library the Scene of Human Rights Action

A library is the collective memory of all humanity. Its contents are the common heritage of us all.

On August 21, 1939, five citizens of the city walked into this building and sat at one of its reading tables. Though surrounded by the wisdom of the ages, they were denied access to the thoughts on the shelves around them for a reason as implausible as the color of their skin. For merely being in the room, they were arrested.

The act of these five men in defying a discriminatory regulation was one of the earliest examples of a tactic successfully employed by a later generation to undermine racial segregation across the nation. This plaque is placed here so that the names of these five courageous citizens — William Evans, Otto Tucker, Edward Gaddis, Morris Murray and Clarence "Buck” Strange — will forever remain a part of the collective memory of out community.

In commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Human Rights Ordinance of the City of Alexandria, March 25, 2000.

Plaque in the Kate Waller Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library

Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,559 times since then and 61 times this year. Last updated on April 30, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 5, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 3, 4. submitted on April 30, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on August 2, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.