Northern Virginia Branch of ASALH

10/07/2026

🎉🎉🎉MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT🎉🎉🎉

Join the National Park Service and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. (ASALH) at the grand re-opening of the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site on Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 9 am to 5 pm.

-Experience the new Visitor Center and exhibits
-Guided House Tours
-Woodson Walking Tours through the Shaw Neighborhood
-Meet Dr. Carter G. Woodson
-Hands-on children's programs
-Music

All tours and programming will begin at the historic Shiloh Baptist Church (1500 Ninth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001). Free tour tickets will be available on a first come first served basis beginning at 9 am to 4 pm. There will be multiple tours per hour. Pick up your tickets at the National Park Service Welcome Tent located in Shiloh Baptist Church. Tours will go through the new visitor center and will include Dr. Woodson’s home.

This special event is free and open to the public. Visit nps.gov/cawo for more information.

NPS Photo

10/05/2026

Jennie S. Dean Freedom School
Black History, Freedom, Faith, Community

Discover the history you may know—and the stories you may never have been taught.

The Northern Virginia Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) invites adults age 18 and older to join the inaugural Jennie S. Dean Freedom School. Supported by grant funding from the Mellon Foundation and ASALH, this free program features 10 engaging Saturday sessions of approximately two hours each.

Together, participants will explore African civilizations and the diaspora; slavery and resistance; emancipation and Reconstruction; Jim Crow and migration; Black education and faith; civil rights and voting rights; and African American contributions to American culture, democracy, science, technology, business, and the arts. Special attention will be given to the people, communities, institutions, and historic places of Northern Virginia.

Sessions will feature historians, educators, faith leaders, community members, primary sources, multimedia presentations, and guided conversations connecting the past with issues facing our communities today.
No previous coursework or specialized historical knowledge is needed. Whether you are beginning your journey, expanding what you already know, or looking for trustworthy resources to share with others, you are welcome.

Why Jennie S. Dean?
Born enslaved in Loudoun County in 1848, Jennie Serepta Dean dedicated her life to faith, education, practical training, and opportunity for African Americans. Her organizing and fundraising led to the establishment of the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth, where Frederick Douglass delivered the keynote address at its 1894 dedication. Her courage, persistence, and service inspire this Freedom School.

Your Commitment
Because this is a 10-session learning experience rather than a series of separate lectures, registrants should plan to participate consistently. Participants will sign in at each session, join discussions and activities, complete brief reflections and program surveys, and contribute to a culminating public-history or community activity.

The Jennie S. Dean Freedom School is an opportunity to learn together, ask thoughtful questions, examine evidence, uncover local history, and carry valuable knowledge back to your family and community.

The program is free, but space is limited. Register today and become part of this historic learning community.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/jennie-s-dean-freedom-school-black-history-freedom-faith-community

09/26/2026

Today we celebrate the charter of the Northern Virginia Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)!

To our founding members: thank you for believing this branch was possible and doing the work to bring it to life. To our charter members: congratulations, and thank you for placing your names, energy, and trust behind its future.

A special thanks to our cofounders, Harvey L. Woodson Jr. and Rev. Gillis M. Taylor, who helped shape the vision and put in the work to bring it to life. My thanks would be incomplete without recognizing my love, Jackie, who provided space, inspiration, and support every step of the way.

I’m grateful to serve alongside our officers—Vice President Kortnei Morris, Secretary Gregory Reid, Treasurer Harvey L. Woodson Jr., and Historian Rev. Gillis M. Taylor. Together with every member and partner, we have an opportunity to preserve and share Black history throughout Northern Virginia.

Our charter marks a beginning. As we heard at the ASALH conference, this work is an unfinished symphony. We inherit a powerful legacy, and it is now our turn to make the music a little sweeter for those who follow.

Congratulations, Northern Virginia Branch! Let’s get to work.

— Dr. Joseph P. Boutte, President

09/23/2026

The Black Raiders of Harpers Ferry
Northern Virginia Branch of ASALH Presents a Special Black History Program at Historic Brentsville

Sunday, October 18, 2026 | 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre
12229 Bristow Road, Bristow, VA 20136
Admission: Free and Open to the Public

The Northern Virginia Branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) invites the community to a special historical presentation, The Black Raiders of Harpers Ferry, led by Kortnei Morris, Vice President of the Northern Virginia Branch of ASALH.

The program commemorates the anniversary of John Brown's historic October 1859 raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia), while bringing greater attention to the five African American men who joined the effort to end slavery: Osborne Perry Anderson, Dangerfield Newby, John Anthony Copeland Jr., Lewis Sheridan Leary, and Shields Green.

While John Brown's name is widely recognized, the stories of these five men—their backgrounds, motivations, sacrifices, and contributions to the abolitionist movement—are less frequently told. Their participation reflects the courage and determination of African Americans who actively fought for their own freedom and the liberation of others.

The location of this event has a particularly meaningful connection to Northern Virginia history. Dangerfield Newby's wife, Harriet, and their children were enslaved in the Brentsville area of Prince William County. Newby had attempted to purchase their freedom and joined Brown's raid in part because he hoped to rescue his family from slavery. His story connects the nationally significant events at Harpers Ferry directly to the experiences of enslaved families in our own community.

Following the presentation, attendees will have the opportunity to explore the five historic buildings at Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre, gaining additional insight into the region's history and the communities that shaped it.

Through programs like this, the Northern Virginia Branch of ASALH seeks to research, preserve, and share African American history, connect local stories to national events, and encourage greater public understanding of the people whose struggles and achievements helped shape our nation.

Join us for an engaging morning of history, discovery, and reflection as we honor these courageous individuals and explore the enduring legacy of their fight for freedom.

The event is free and open to the public.

The Black Raiders of Harpers Ferry explores the little‑known Black soldiers whose courage reshaped the struggle for freedom during the Civil War. This program…

09/17/2026

Going to school was very different 100 years ago than it is today. Join the Prince William Office of Historic Preservation and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History for an open house to explore the one-room school at Lucasville. Enjoy some ice cream, explore hands-on crafts and activities, and speak with local historians to learn about Northern Virginia's African American history!

This is a FREE event and tickets are not required.

https://www.pwcva.gov/events/lucasville-school-open-house-ice-cream-social

09/17/2026

We love this American story! It’s worth repeating!

Imagine buying a historic home near where you grew up—only to discover that it was once a plantation where your own ancestors had been enslaved.

That is what happened to Air Force veteran Fred Miller and his family at Sharswood in southern Virginia. Their search eventually led them to records of their ancestors, the places where they lived and worked, and even a long-forgotten cemetery where enslaved members of their family were likely buried. Today, the family is working to preserve the property, slave quarters, cemetery, and the stories of the people who lived there.

This 60 Minutes story is about more than slavery. It is about family, discovery, remembrance, preservation, and reclaiming history. It reminds us that American history isn’t somewhere far away—it may be beneath our feet, inside our homes, and waiting in our own family stories to be rediscovered.

History remembered becomes history preserved.

Watch and read the 60 Minutes story:
The House That Unlocked a Family’s History — 60 Minutes⁠ at

Fred Miller purchased a property to host family gatherings, only to learn it was once a plantation where his ancestors were enslaved.

09/17/2026

09/16/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1DQksxj87o/?mibextid=wwXIfr

We're back and better! The African American Civil War Museum warmly welcomes you to our reopening. New space and new exhibitions like you've never seen. Join us in our journey from the slave ship to the Civil War to the ballot box. The countdown starts now!

AfricanAmericanHistory

09/13/2026

BE A PART OF HISTORY.
BE A NORFOLK ASALH VOLUNTEER.

Norfolk Waterside Marriott
235 East Main St., Norfolk, VA 23510

111th Annual Meeting September 23-27, 2026

Join us for the ASALH National Conference as we welcome scholars, educators, community members, students, researchers and active citizens from around the world. Participants will join us in more than 200 interesting presentations and informative dialogues about African and African American life and history.

Volunteer Today!