Alexandria Black History Museum

Published March 11, 2026 at 2:45PM

Audrey Davis, Director of the African American History division of the Office of Historic Alexandria, speaks at the "Fight for the Right to Read" family program in February 2026 (courtesy of the Office of Historic Alexandria)

A new children’s book is highlighting the historic work of Samuel Wilbert Tucker, an attorney from Alexandria who pioneered one of the first library sit-ins against Jim Crow segregation.

“Fight for the Right to Read” tells the story of the Alexandria Library sit-in as Tucker, at age 26, led a group of five young Black men to enter the whites-only Alexandria Library on Aug. 21, 1939. Co-authors Jeff Gottesfeld, Michelle Y. Green and illustrator Kim Holt came to the Alexandria recently to discuss the September release and sign copies during Black History Month.

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Alexandria will begin Black History Month with annual student poster exhibition

By Katie Taranto

Published January 30, 2026 at 3:45PM

Students' posters in the 2024 Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster Exhibition (via City of Alexandria/Facebook)

Black History Month starts this Sunday, and in Alexandria, it will be celebrated with the city’s annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Poster Exhibition.

More than 130 student posters inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. will go on display at the Charles Houston Recreation Center (901 Wythe Street), starting Sunday during an awards ceremony from 1-3 p.m. The event has showcased posters by students in grades 2-5 at Alexandria City Public Schools for over 30 years.

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Alexandria museums featured in new ‘Virginia 250 Passport’ state tourism program

By Katie Taranto

Published November 12, 2025 at 9:15AM

Family uses VA250 Passport booklet at Art Museums (courtesy of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture)

Three Alexandria museums are participating in a new Virginia tourism campaign to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary next year.

The new program, called the Virginia 250 Passport, includes Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, the Alexandria Black History Museum and the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum as part of a “passport” sweepstakes. The program encourages residents to visit various museums and historic sites throughout the commonwealth.

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The Rink That Rocked: Talk to revisit Alexandria venue that hosted Janis Joplin, Alice Cooper

By James Cullum

Published June 27, 2025 at 12:15PM | Updated June 27, 2025 at 7:59PM

The Alexandria Roller Rink in Old Town North was open from 1948 to 1986 (via Office of Historic Alexandria)

The Alexandria Roller Rink in Old Town North was open from 1948 to 1986 (via Office of Historic Alexandria)Next month, the Alexandria Historical Society will host a behind-the-scenes panel to reflect on the legacy of a long-lost landmark: the Alexandria Roller Rink.

With its maple floors and Wurlitzer organ, the Alexandria Roller Rink (807 N. St. Asaph Street) could hold 3,000 skaters at a time. It wasn’t all about skating, though. In the 1970s, the rink was advertised as a “psychedelic ballroom” and the “Alexandria Rock Arena” and hosted concerts with stars like Janis Joplin, Jethro Tull, and Alice Cooper, according to the Office of Historic Alexandria.

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Alexandria’s historic sites part of major museum social impact study

By Ryan Belmore

Published March 18, 2025 at 10:30AM

Alexandria Black History Museum (image via City of Alexandria)

The Office of Historic Alexandria wants your help with a national study on how museums impact society. It’s one of 40 institutions chosen for the Museum Social Impact in Practice (MSIIP) study, and it needs at least 150 people to visit three museums and share their thoughts.

This study, backed by the American Alliance of Museums and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, runs until July. If you participate and complete the survey, you’ll get a special gift, an invite to hear about the results in November and free membership to the ALXHistoryLovers Society.