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
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. It 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.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area and in Northern Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers.
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Alexandria Library Sit-In (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
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.
Photographed by Don Morfe, February 28, 2015
2. Alexandria Library Sit-In Marker
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, April 3, 2015
3. 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.
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015
4. The Alexandria Library 1794
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015
5. Kate Waller Barrett Memorial Building 1937
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015
6. The Kate Waller Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 1, 2015
7. 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.
Photographed by Richard E. Miller, October 15, 2013
8. 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 5, 2015, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 2,197 times since then and 100 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. submitted on April 30, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 2, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 8. submitted on April 30, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
