June 3, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 92 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E696-E697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATION OF THE 225TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE 
 ALEXANDRIA LIBRARY AND THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE HISTORIC ROBINSON 
                             LIBRARY SIT-IN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 3, 2019

  Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the Alexandria 
Library, which has a rich history that spans two centuries. This year, 
the library is celebrating its 225th year as an entity as well as the 
80th anniversary of the historic 1939 Library Sit-In.
  The Alexandria Library was originally founded on July 24, 1794, by 
the Alexandria Library Company, where the Library was established as a 
subscription service where members paid a small fee to use its books, 
becoming the first in the state to do so.
  Over the years, the Library was housed in several of the City's 
historic buildings such as the City Hall, Lyceum, the old Firehouse, 
Stabler's Apothecary and United Daughters of the Confederacy's 
Confederate Hall.
  The community supported the recovery of the Library in the aftermath 
of the Civil War and the Depression of 1873, and again in the 1890s 
from the Panic of 1893.
  In the 1930s, several groups came together to form a public library 
with Dr. Robert Barrett donating the money to build the Kate Waller 
Barrett Library (in honor of his mother), including the Alexandria 
Library Company, who donated the books to create the collection, the 
Society of Friends, who donated the land to build the facility, and the 
city, which designated a line item in its budget to ensure operations.
  On August 20, 1937, the Kate Waller Barrett Branch opened to the 
community, but in conformance with the Jim Crow laws, it did not allow 
all citizens to use the facility and its resources.
  On August 21, 1939, local attorney, Samuel W. Tucker, and five 
African-American men challenged this law with a peaceful protest 
wherein the five young men individually entered the library and 
requested library cards from Library staff, who denied each request. 
Each young man took a book from the shelves, sat down at a table, and 
began to read. Eventually arrested for their act of civil disobedience, 
this incident was recognized as the first library sit-in to occur in 
the country.
  Their actions resulted in the opening of the Robert H. Robinson 
Library in 1940, which served the African-American community before 
becoming the City's Black History Museum. Each anniversary provides a 
unique opportunity to revisit the history that captures the essence of 
the City as it evolved into the thriving, historical destination it is 
today.
  As the Alexandria Library recognizes and celebrates its entire past, 
the good and bad, it seeks to meet the informational, educational and 
recreational needs of the community. The Alexandria Library of the 21st 
century provides residents an opportunity to learn, explore, create, 
and connect, emphasizing that libraries today continue to function as 
the people's university and make information and technology available 
and accessible to all.
  I ask this body to join me in commemorating the 225th anniversary of 
the founding of the

[[Page E697]]

Alexandria Library and the 80th anniversary of the sit-in at the Kate 
Waller Barrett Branch of the Alexandria Library.

                          ____________________