An event tomorrow (Thursday) will honor Benjamin Thomas and reflect on his lynching in Alexandria 125 years ago. This year, the event will also highlight the aftermath of the lynching in Alexandria.
The event is being held at 6:30 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Worship Center (1401 Jamieson Avenue) though a release from the City of Alexandria notes that it will be a secular event. 125 years ago, the church was the site of meeting after Thompson’s murder to both honor his memory and protest against the lynching.
According to the release:
On Tues. Aug. 8, 1899, Benjamin Thomas, a 16-year-old native of Alexandria, was lynched at the corner of Fairfax and King Streets after being dragged from the jail on Princess and St. Asaph Streets. Accused by his next-door neighbor’s seven-year-old daughter of assault and arrested based solely on her testimony, Thomas maintained his innocence. In the aftermath, both Black and white Alexandrians believed he was innocent. News of his murder, after local Black leadership warned authorities of a threat to lynch him, caused work stoppages around the region.
On Mon. Aug. 28, 1899, more than 600 people attended a mass meeting at Shiloh Baptist Church for two reasons, to memorialize Benjamin Thompson and to protest his lynching. At the packed event, leaders from churches in Alexandria and the District called for an economic boycott of any business associated with those who took part in the mob.
Join us for an hour-long program of memory, music, and listening, as we remember Benjamin Thomas and the courageous actions of Alexandria’s Black community in 1899.
Additionally, City Hall and the lamp post at the intersection of King and S. Fairfax Street will be illuminated purple to honor Thomas.
