May 2025 Edition
Thank You For Believing In Me
On May 22, the second set of Memorial Scholarships honoring Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas will be awarded to two Alexandria City High School seniors. This year, one recipient aspires to become a public servant dedicated to making sure everyone’s voice is heard and valued, and the other wishes to give back to the community and train to be a dental hygienist. Both graduates plan to study at Northern Virginia Community College.
“Thank you for believing in me and investing in my future,” wrote Gideon K. who was selected to be awarded the Joseph McCoy Memorial Scholarship. He said the $3,000, that he will receive annually for up to four years, will make a “tremendous difference” in his life, as it will help him continue his education.
“Without this support, I would have faced the real possibility of having to drop out due to financial hardship,” Gideon wrote in a thank you letter while expressing “his deepest gratitude” to the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project.
This year, the McCoy Scholarship was set aside for a student pursuing a college degree in a social justice or truth-telling field, such as History, Journalism, Law, Education, Art or the Ministry. Gideon plans to study political science in preparation for a career in public service where he believes he can “make meaningful changes in communities.” He said he wants to understand how government and policy work and “be a voice for those who are often unheard.”
This year, the Thomas Scholarship was set aside for a student planning to go into a trade. The grant can be used to obtain job skills, obtain a certification or a license, as well as to attend community college. Meseret S. wrote to ACRP, to say she is “deeply grateful” for the Benjamin Thomas scholarship because it brings her “one step closer to achieving [her] dream.”
NOVA’s dental hygiene associate degree program prepares students to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam and get licensed and registered as a hygienist. It will take 2.5 years of full-time study to complete the $15,763 degree program. The Benjamin Thomas Memorial Scholarship will provide a total of $6,000 over two academic years, just under half of the cost of the degree. Meseret said she is “committed to working hard and giving back to my community.”
Since 2023, ACRP and the Alexandria Community have raised $43,514 to recognize and remember Alexandria’s two known lynching victims, Joseph McCoy (1897) and Benjamin Thomas (1899). The racial terror caused by their lynchings impacted this region’s African American community. These scholarships build upon Alexandria’s commitment to acknowledge and apologize for these past injustices while investing in our youth and the future.
Each year, ACRP raises $6,000 for a new set of scholarships in honor of these young men who were denied due process, opportunity and life. We have done this primarily through our popular Tables of Conscience book-themed dinner parties held in members’ homes in the fall and winter. We have had lots of great feedback from people who have enjoyed meeting others while discussing important issues of the day. We are actively looking for hosts now for the fall of 2025. If you want to learn more or have questions, please write to tiffany.pache@alexandriava.gov.
We are grateful to those who have participated in past dinners as hosts and/or guests. But that is just one aspect of our fundraising for ACRP’s scholarship program. In addition to raising $6,000 annually, we are trying to build a $150,000 endowment, at which point the scholarships will self-perpetuate. Our partners in this effort have been the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. The Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas Memorial Scholarship Program is administered through them and our donation page can be found here.
Since 1986, SFA has awarded nearly $18 million in scholarships and sent thousands of Alexandria's neediest students to pursue their college and career goals; students with drive and talent who might not otherwise have the chance to attend college. At today's Alexandria City High School, two out of three students live at or below the federal poverty level. Just one scholarship can mean generations of financial stability and success for an Alexandria student and their family, according to SFA.
The Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas Scholarship Program gives us a chance to pay it forward and gives deserving students, like Gideon and Meseret, a fighting chance at success. McCoy Scholar, Gideon said the scholarship will make a difference in his life, and he is inspired “to work even harder and make the most of this gift you have given me. I hope one day, I can give back to others the same way you have given to me.”
Thank you, Alexandria Community Remembrance participants for your continued generosity and support.
In The News
On Wednesday, Apr. 23, 2025, more than 125 Alexandrians gathered at the Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church to hear Robert P. Jones deliver a speech in Remembrance of Joseph McCoy. Descendants of the McCoy family were in attendance as guests of honor. Mayor Alyia Gaskin's remarks were insightful and thoughtful. ACRP Co-Chair Audrey Davis grounded the evening around the memory of Joseph McCoy, sharing information about the Alexandria he and other Black Alexandrians experienced at the time of his lynching. Dr. Jones, whose book, White Too Long was recently banned from the Naval Academy for discussing the impact white supremacy had on him and his faith, spoke about how deep the roots of the present moment run in our history. His remarks are available to read on his substack page. We are grateful to Dr. Jones for joining us in this Remembrance and thank those who participated.
Volunteer Opportunities
Coming This Fall: Banned Books Tables of Conscience
If you haven’t yet participated in, or hosted a Tables of Conscience Dinner, now is the time! This fall, we are adding a new twist - the social justice books the dinners will be based on must have been banned recently by the Naval Academy and West Point.
We are looking for hosts for three dinners to be held on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening (6-9 pm) in September, October or early November. We will only allow one dinner per evening, they will be booked on a first come first serve basis.
Hosts pick the date and the social justice-themed book. On the day of the event, they open their home and provide dinner for 8-12 people. Please contact tiffany.pache@alexandriava.gov to learn more or to volunteer.
Researchers Needed for Committee of Inquiry
ACRP will be launching a Committee of Inquiry into Alexandria’s Post-Civil War history and we are looking for researchers. To learn more about volunteering for this blue ribbon panel please go to our website. If you are interested in applying, please fill out this short application. We are accepting applications on a rolling basis.
Upcoming Events
Preservation Tours: Lost Buildings of Alexandria-The Waterfront
Saturdays in May (17th, 24th, & 31st)
10 a.m. - Noon
Carlyle House, 121 N. Fairfax Street
$20
Tickets can be purchased online.
In honor of National Preservation Month, join Carlyle House and Lee-Fendall House on a tour of “Lost Alexandria,” and explore parts of the historic Black neighborhood of Fishtown and what is now Founder’s Park. Learn why these buildings were not preserved. Tours begin at Carlyle House, 121 N. Fairfax Street and include extensive walking.
Finding Hope Together: A Baha’i Perspective on Navigating Uncertain Times
Saturday, May 17
10 a.m. - Noon
Alexandria Baha’i Center, 5400 B Eisenhower Ave.
Free
This special extension of Meaningful Conversations organized by the Baha’i leaders will feature a panel discussion that will explore a vision for the future that focuses on our oneness, trust and truth. The panelists include Michael Orona Senior Advisory at the Department of State, Bill Collins a member of Corinne True Center, Trisha Irons, Senior Project Manager for eDiscovery for Lighthouse Global, and ACRP Steering Committee member, and general counsel for Tahirih Justice Center, Paul Glist. Parking is available on site and at the Van Dorn Metro Station where a free shuttle is available. To find out more, go to the Alexandria Baha’i website.
Upcoming Committee Meetings
The Steering Committee of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project will meet on Thurs., May 15, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at Alexandria Black History Museum.
Committee Meeting Reports
The Schools & Libraries Action Committee met on Apr. 30, 2025. Members of the Library and Museums Staff provided information about the impacts from dismantling the Institute for Museums and Library Services on Alexandria’s schools, libraries, and museums.
ACRP’s Faith Initiative held a clergy coffee on May 2, 2025. Rabbi Spinrad will be moving out-of-state and stepped down from his leadership position as co-chair of ACRP’s Faith Initiative. Rev. Driskell will continue to co-chair the committee with Rev. Grace Han. It was decided that one chair would continue to be from the ACRP Steering Committee and one would be from the community of faith leaders. The group is collecting signatures from city clergy for the Affirmation Statement.
Alexandria Community Remembrance Project
The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project (ACRP) is a city-wide initiative dedicated to helping Alexandria understand its history of racial terror hate crimes and to work toward creating a welcoming community bound by equity and inclusion.
In Memoriam
Write "ACRP" in Comments on the donation form.
Office of Historic Alexandria
City of Alexandria, Virginia
ACRP@alexandriava.gov