06/19/2026
“Proclaim Liberty throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants thereof” -Liberty Bell inscription.
Reverend Lewis Henry Bailey (top left) was still a child when his enslaver separated him from his family, imprisoned him at 1315 Duke Street, and then sold him to a slaveholder in Texas. At the time, Alexandria was a hub of the interstate slave trade. Thousands of men, women, and children were trafficked through the city.
Shortly after the start of the Civil War, the interstate slave trade in the Port City collapsed. Thousands fled to the Union garrison in Alexandria to self-liberate themselves from slavery. While many died of disease after reaching the city and were buried in Freedmen Cemetery, many others survived and worked to build new lives for themselves and their families.
USCT soldiers like Sergeant Ni**od Burke (bottom left) trained near Alexandria before marching south to battle the Confederacy.
After the Civil War, Henry Bailey made the long journey back to Alexandria on foot. After reuniting with his family, Bailey threw himself into civic life. He served as the interim pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Alexandria and went on to establish several churches and two schools.
Bailey's daughter, Annie B. Rose (top right) carried on his legacy. She played a role in organizing the March on Washington and pushed for the creation of the Black History Resource Center (today's Alexandria Black History Museum).
Starting in the late 1990s, concerned citizens like Lillie Finklea and Louise Massoud began organizing to protect the Freedmen Cemetery site and pay tribute to those buried there. The Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial (bottom right) opened in 2014 as a tribute to the freedom-seekers who self-liberated themselves from slavery by fleeing to Alexandria during the Civil War.
On Juneteenth, we reflect on and remember the bravery of all those who endured and resisted slavery, and who worked to build new lives for themselves and their communities after emancipation. We also remember all those who worked and continue to work to preserve these histories and create a more just society today.
Credit: Alexandria Black History Museum/Awal115 (Wikimedia)
