People with information about the Alexandria Library Sit-in that Samuel W. Tucker organized in 1939 and Tucker’s legacy were interviewed by New America, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. Tucker was included in the 2023 Virginia Standards of Learning (learning objectives) as one of the famous Virginians students will study. In addition to the interviews, New America https://www.newamerica.org/ is collaborating with Virginia educators and New American History https://www.newamericanhistory.org/ to write curriculum to support teaching about Tucker’s life and work as a civil rights lawyer challenging segregation.

This is the link to the ten interviews https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/collections/the-library-sit-in-of-1939/

Nancy Noyes Silcox, author of Samuel W. Tucker: The Story of a Civil Rights Trailblazer and the 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-in

Brenda Mitchell-Powell, author of Public in Name Only

Cathy David, the first principal of Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School

Audrey Davis, Director, Alexandria’s African American History Division, Office of Historic Alexandria

Rose Dawson, Director of the Alexandria Public Library

Adaarema Kelly, principal of Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School

Matt Spangler, film maker, Out of Obscurity

Bryan Porter, Commonwealth’s Attorney, City of Alexandria

Justin Wilson, Mayor, City of Alexandria

Michael Johnson, Community Activist, City of Alexandria