In 1794, Alexandria Library opened as a private lending library, calling itself the Alexandria Library Company. In 1937, Dr. Robert South Barrett donated funds to build
Alexandria's Public Library. The Library Company cooperated in this effort, contracting with the Alexandria City Council to turn over its collections to City of Alexandria as the City agreed to include the public library's operating expenses in its budget. Since the library's budget was collected from the taxes paid by every American Citizen regardless their race, the lawyer
Samuel Wilbert Tucker organized in 1939 a pacific sit-in at the new and "whites only"
Alexandria, Virginia public library (Kate Waller Barret branch) that lead to their arrest by Virginia's police. The 1939 event is commonly cited as the first non-violent protest by African Americans against
racial segregation. The museum has changing exhibitions on local and national topics related to African Americans.{{cite web == Museum ==