In the summer of 1939, two decades before sit-ins would become an effective tool in the struggle for Civil Rights, Samuel Tucker, an Alexandrian who lived on Queen Street, arranged one of the first such non-violent protest events. On August 21st, five black men walked into the Queen Street Library and asked for a library card. Citing “Jim Crow” laws, the librarian refused. She called the police and the five were arrested for disorderly conduct.
The Alexandria Library incident made headlines, but ask 10 people in Old Town about it, and I’m not sure even half will know.
Putting a new, bright spotlight on this story and the man behind it is Nancy Noyes Silcox and her new book, “Samuel Wilbert Tucker, The Story of a Civil Rights Trailblazer and the 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In.”
The author, the first librarian at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School in Alexandria, was inspired to write this book by students at the school who wanted to know more about him. The front cover notes the book is geared towards grades four to eight, but its quality can be enjoyed by all ages.
Over 50 illustrations and source notes enhance her effort. I’m particularly pleased she included a map with 21 key spots in and around Parker-Gray, the historically black neighborhood were Tucker worked and lived. The neighborhood is gentrifying, but the area around Queen and North Patrick streets, where Tucker grew up, still contains some folks who will tell you about the challenges and obstacles they and Tucker faced.
Silcox’s book not only tells the story of Tucker’s life, but it also provides glimpses into segregated life in Alexandria. In certain areas, blacks and white children played together, and black and whites lived side by side. Nevertheless, everyone knew where the invisible lines had been drawn.
Tucker’s brilliance is seen in the outcome of the sit-in case. In court, he pointed out the five men were not disorderly. The judge agreed and postponed a decision. The case quietly went away.
Tucker now had his avenue. As an esteemed lawyer, he worked on over 50 cases to help dismantle “separate but equal.” (it was never equal). His most sterling victory came in “Green v. County School Board of New Kent County” in 1968. The Supreme Court ruled that the school board there must enact a better desegregation system than the one before.
Silcox has written a fantastic book. The Queen Street Library will soon make copies of it available, the place where Samuel Tucker made history.