Name: “Desegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries” by Chris Barbuschak
Start: 2026-01-22T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-22T20:30:00-05:00
Location: 9248 Lee Ave, Manassas, VA 20110-5513, United States

$\u201cDesegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries\u201d by Chris Barbuschak$

During the Jim Crow era, many public libraries were segregated and inaccessible to Black residents. Discover the history of library access in Prince William County from the late 19th century through the founding of Prince William Public Libraries (PWPL) in 1952. Chris Barbuschak, co-author of "Desegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries," will speak about the white-only Ruffner-Carnegie Library, the library at Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth, and PWPL’s early efforts to serve everyone. This lecture is a FREE program jointly sponsored by the Prince William County Office of Historic Preservation and Historic Prince William.