Black History Under Fire?
President Trump signed an executive order that aims to restrict funding for programs within the Smithsonian Institution, which this administration falsely claims promote “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”
This move is deeply concerning, as it seeks to distort our nation’s history and undermine the truth. However, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to preserving the integrity of our cultural institutions and promoting a nuanced understanding of our shared history.
By standing together, we can ensure that our nation’s story is told in a way that is accurate, inclusive, and empowering. Let us continue to uplift the truth, celebrate our diversity, and work towards a brighter future for all.
We will not let anyone erase or distort our history. Black history is American history, and we will continue to tell it with pride and accuracy. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and future generations to preserve the truth and promote a culture of honesty, integrity, and inclusivity.
Regards,
Dr. Scott Edwin Taylor
(president)
Please Join Us!
Stumbling Stones Dedication Ceremony for Hyson Family and Descendants
On Saturday, March 15, 2025, a powerful ceremony was held, unveiling stumbling stones to honor and celebrate the lives of formerly enslaved citizens of Arlington, VA.
These bronze markers have been placed on the northeast corner of Little Falls Road and Harrison Street, serving as a testament to the resilience and strength of those who came before us.-The Arlington Historical Society and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington unveiled the first of a new series of “Stumbling Stones,” a poignant reminder of the enslaved people who helped build our county and our country.
The markers are placed in the sidewalk at the last known location where these enslaved people lived, ensuring their memories and contributions are forever etched in our collective history.
Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington’s research has revealed over 2750 enslaved people and identified 1050 by name, a significant step towards acknowledging and honoring their experiences.
The dedication ceremony honored three once-enslaved individuals who worked and resided near the location of the markers—
Margaret Hyson: Born ca. 1825, Died July 11, 1891
George Hyson: Born ca. 1851, Died June 1900
Charlotte Hyson: Born Nov. 10, 1853, Died June 9, 1921
Speakers included Dr. Scott Taylor, Sandra Green, Samia Byrd, Jessica Kaplan, Takis Karantonis, Tim Aiken, and other community notables, who shared powerful words of reflection and hope.
Many members and descendants of the Hyson family attended, adding a deeply personal and meaningful dimension to the ceremony.
African libations were poured in honor and memory of the lives of the ancestors who built our community and our nation, a beautiful tribute to their enduring legacy.
Saying Goodbye to Activist David Hartsough
It is with great sadness that we let you know of David Hartsough’s passing on Saturday, March 22, 2025.
On June 9, 1960, just after 1 pm, approximately a dozen individuals entered the People’s Drug Store at 4709 Lee Highway in Cherrydale, initiating a peaceful county-wide demonstration advocating for the right of all people to be served at historically white-only lunch counters. David Hartsough was among those protesters.
David Hartsough (born May 2, 1940) was an American Quaker peace activist. Formerly a long-time employee of the American Friends Service Committee, he co-founded the Nonviolent Peaceforce. Hartsough’s parents were active in the peace movement. He embarked on his life’s work after meeting Martin Luther King Jr. in 1956 while attending Westtown School, a Quaker school in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Hartsough received his BA from Howard University and his MA from Columbia University in International Relations. He was involved in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements. Hartsough worked 18 years for peace and justice with the American Friends Service Committee. He engaged in nonviolent peacemaking in the US, Kosovo, the former Soviet Union, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Iran, Palestine, and Israel. Inspired by the protests in Greensboro, several Howard University students and local allies founded an integrated group of activists against segregation and racism, known as the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG).
In June 1960, this group, which included Lawrence Henry, Dion Diamond, Joan Trumpauer (now Mulholland), Gwendolyn Greene (now Britt), Cornelia Greene, Charles Cobb, David Hartsough, Helene Wilson, Walter De Legall, Paul Carr, Ethelene Crockett, and others, organized demonstrations over various days at lunch counters across the county.
Rest on, David and thank you for your service.
The Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, Virginia
Arlington Libraries Were Once Segregated
During the Jim Crow era, the Henry Louis Holmes Library was established by and for Arlington’s Black community.
On November 14, 1940, a group of book lovers convened for a literary event at Mount Olive Baptist Church, then situated on a section of Arlington Ridge Road that once existed near Columbia Pike. They gathered not for an author lecture or book discussion, but rather to dedicate the Henry Louis Holmes Library, created to serve Black patrons during segregation.
As part of the festivities, the Rev. J. Francis Gregory, a Black English professor from Washington, D.C., presented the library with a copy of Frederick Douglass the Orator, a biography written by his father, James Monroe Gregory. It was likely a prized volume in a collection that grew to approximately 2,500 books, most of them donated.
Operating out of the church basement, the Holmes library was the culmination of a long effort by Black Arlingtonians to provide books and research services to the county’s Black community.
Like public schools and swimming pools, libraries were segregated throughout the South during the Jim Crow era. Black library patrons were required to use separate reading rooms or enter through back doors in the few places that granted them access at all.
In Arlington, the Henry Louis Holmes Association had been formed by advocates including Nora Drew, mother of noted surgeon Charles Drew; the Rev. A. Mackley of Mount Olive church; and Kitty Bruce, chair of the Arlington Inter-Racial Commission.
Born into slavery, the library’s chosen namesake, Henry Louis Holmes, had gone on to become a local civic leader who helped found Arlington’s Butler-Holmes community in what is now Penrose.
In 1942, Pentagon-related road construction forced the growing library to relocate to the Lomax African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Green Valley. Two years later, the Holmes library became an official county branch and moved to its final home in the George Washington Carver complex in Arlington View. It remained there until 1949, when it was shuttered to make way for more new construction.
Arlington County desegregated its library system the following year, but it did so without fanfare and kept no records of Black patronage for years afterward.
Because other public services remained segregated—including county schools, which did not desegregate until 1959—it’s likely many Black citizens were either unaware that they had full access to the library system or simply felt unwelcome, even after the doors were technically open to readers of all races.
