Alexandria Library is partnering with the Office of Historic Alexandria and D.C.-based think tank New America to create an immersive digital exhibit commemorating the historic 1939 civil rights sit-in at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library.
New America was awarded a two-year $250,000 grant for the project and plans to launch the exhibit in 2027.
The sit-in has been recognized as an early example of civil disobedience. Nearly 87 years ago, on Monday, Aug. 21, 1939, William “Buddy” Evans, Morris Murray, Edward Gaddis, Clarence “Buck” Strange and Otto Tucker sat down, started to read and refused to leave after they were denied library privileges. The men were charged with disorderly conduct, a charge that remained on the books until 2019, when Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter petitioned the Alexandria Circuit Court to have them dismissed.
“The story of the 1939 library sit-in deserves greater recognition across our country for its role in laying groundwork for future civil rights victories,” said Lisa Guernsey, a senior director at New America leading the project. “This exhibit will allow people everywhere to become inspired by the story, gain insight into what happened before and after the sit-in, and connect it to the demand for education access that still reverberates today.”
The free digital exhibit will be featured on the Alexandria Library’s website, and will take visitors through an interactive experience “that helps them see the story through the eyes of the half-dozen young people who organized the sit-in and were demanding their right to read and use the library,” according to New America. “Visitors will also be linked to additional digital resources, such as oral history videos, photographs, meeting minutes, and scanned versions of 1930s correspondence.”
Most Americans don’t know the story of the sit-in, said Audrey Davis, director of the African American History division at the Office of Historic Alexandria.
“It embodies the fundamental right we all have to gain knowledge,” Davis said. “The actions of five brave young Black men helped their community thrive and paved the way for the eventual integration of Alexandria’s libraries. It was an early volley on the battlefield for equal access—a battle still being fought today.”
The exhibit will be developed by Alexandria-based public relations firm Reingold.
“The Library has not always been on the right side of history,” said Rose T. Dawson, Director of the Alexandria Library. “Our partnership with New America to explore and bring to light the full story of this brave civil rights action is one example of how the Library acknowledges our past while also growing, serving, and striving to inspire change through action.”
New America, the city and the Alexandria Library will conduct a webinar at noon on Friday, Aug. 21 to discuss the project and commemorate the sit-in’s 87th anniversary.
