[Archived] 25th Anniversary of Alexandria's Human Rights Ordinance Honors Five African-Americans' Efforts to Desegregate Library in 1939


News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:	Tuesday, April 18, 2000
Contact:	Richard Reno, Chair, Human Rights Commission, (703) 838-6390; Nancy McBride, Acting Director, Office of Human Rights, (703) 838-6390

25th Anniversary of Alexandria's Human Rights Ordinance Honors Five African-Americans' Efforts to Desegregate Library in 1939

In honor of the historic sit-in by five African-American men in 1939 to protest the segregation of the City’s public library facilities, the Alexandria City Council and the Alexandria Human Rights Commission will dedicate a plaque on Tuesday, April 25, 2000, at 4:30 p.m., in the lobby of the Kate Waller Barrett Library, located at 717 Queen Street.

The dedication coincides with the City’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of the passing of its Human Rights Ordinance, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, familial status, age, sexual orientation or disability.

"This City has come a long way since the courageous actions of these five men and the historic passage of the Human Rights Ordinance," Alexandria Mayor Kerry Donley said. "It is significant that the first new elementary school to be constructed in 30 years in the City will be named after Samuel W. Tucker, the organizer of the historic 1939 sit-in," Donley said. "That speaks volumes about the conscience of our community today."

Nearly 61 years ago on August 21, 1939, William Evans, Otto Tucker, Edward Gaddis, Morris Murray and Clarence "Buck" Strange entered the "whites only" library on Queen Street and sat down at a table to protest the discriminatory regulation that prohibited them from using the City’s public library facilities. Alexandria resident Robert Strange, brother of Clarence Strange, acted as a messenger for sit-in participants and Attorney Samuel W. Tucker, who orchestrated the protest to provide a test case to force the courts to address issues of discrimination. This peaceful strategy would be later employed by many others to end discrimination and bring about change in Alexandria and throughout the United States.

Ms. Elsie Tucker Thomas, the sister of Otto Tucker and Samuel W. Tucker, who defended the men in court after their arrest, will make remarks at the ceremony.

"Honoring these men for their enormous contribution toward racial equality was a goal of the Human Rights Commission," said Human Rights Commission Chair Richard Reno. "They risked much to make their lives, their families’ lives and, ultimately, all of our lives better.

"As we continue the struggle to end discrimination in our City and our Country, may all of us remember their courage and sacrifice."

The Alexandria Human Rights Commission, the second oldest in Virginia, was created by the 1975 Human Rights Ordinance. Fourteen citizen members, appointed by City Council, oversee the implementation of the Ordinance, which prohibits discrimination in the areas of housing, commercial real estate, employment, public accommodations, health and social services, education, credit and City contracts. The Commission advises the City Manager and Council on matters of human rights concerns, educates the public about responsibilities and protections related to the Ordinance and adjudicates specific complaints.