African Americans of Alexandria, Virginia: beacons of light in the twentieth century

Sitting just south of the nation's capital, Alexandria has a long andstoried history.

Still, little is knownof Alexandria's twentieth-century African American community.

Experience theharrowing narratives of trials and triumph as Alexandria's African Americanshelped to shape not only their hometown but also the world around them.

Rutherford Adkins became one of the first black fighter pilots as a TuskegeeAirman.

Samuel Tucker, a twenty-six-year-old lawyer, organized and fought forAlexandria to share its wealth of knowledge with the African American communityby opening its libraries to all colors and creeds.

Discover a vibrant past that,through this record, will be remembered forever as Alexandria's beacon of hopeand light.