Contraband and Freedmens Cemetery
Highlight Juneteenth Events
June 15-16, 2024:
• Manumission Tour Company will offer a Juneteenth African American History Bus Tour. Visit historic sites that tell the story of African Americans in early Alexandria, including several historic African American churches in the city.
June 19, 2024:
• Carlyle House, a historic house museum and park, is hosting its annual Juneteenth celebration in collaboration with The Athenaeum, a regional arts organization. Discover the history of Juneteenth through hands-on activities, art, history and poetry readings.
• The Washington Revels Jubilee Voices’ lively, interactive concert featuring traditional music, dance, and spoken word anchors the Juneteenth Holiday at Market Square festivities.
June 19 to 22, 2024:
• During Freedom Before Emancipation: Family Days for Juneteenth, visitors to George Washington’s Mount Vernon can learn about Ona Judge, Christopher Sheels and more enslaved people who resisted enslavement and sought freedom before the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Find more Juneteenth events here.
Historic Museums
• Alexandria Black History Museum (Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 19): The Alexandria Black History Museum showcases exhibitions including Preserving their Names: The Black Lives Remembered Collection, featuring digital images and artifacts donated from the community in the D.C. region following the murder of George Floyd. A children’s area offers thought-provoking and age-appropriate activities for young visitors. Plus, look for the upcoming summer opening of the Moss Kendrix Collection, spotlighting the D.C.-based marketing pioneer who revolutionized how African Americans were depicted in the media in the mid-20th century.
• Freedom House Museum, Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 19: This national historic landmark features three exhibitions showcasing Alexandria’s Black history and the Black experience in America. Learn about the experiences of the enslaved and free Black people who lived in — and were trafficked through — Alexandria, plus stories from the Civil Rights Movement and more.
Black-Owned Businesses
• Hen Quarter: Gather a group at Hen Quarter for a mouthwatering family-style brunch and Southern fare in the heart of Old Town.
• PIES Fitness Yoga Studio: Take a restorative yoga or dance class at this inclusive, trauma-informed studio just steps from Alexandria’s key Black history sites.
• Harambee Books & Artworks: Browse a unique selection of books and hard-to-find classic literature by and about people of African descent, plus exclusive artworks and fashionable apparels at Northern Virginia's first Black-owned bookstore.
Explore more Black-owned businesses here.