125th Anniversary Of Black Man's Lynching To Be Marked In Alexandria

ALEXANDRIA, VA — As Alexandria comes to terms with instances of racism in its history, the 125th anniversary of a Black man's lynching will be marked Saturday.

The City of Alexandria invites residents to Market Square at 3 p.m. for the remembrance of Joseph McCoy, an 18-year-old who was lynched by a mob in Alexandria on April 23, 1897.

"At the remembrance event, community members will recognize the 1897 lynching of Joseph McCoy and the terror it spread throughout the African American community," the city stated in a news release. "The ceremony will remember McCoy, affirm responsibility for these acts of racial terror, and continue our work to reconcile our past with our present."

The death of McCoy was one of two documented lynchings in Alexandria, one of 11 in Northern Virginia, and one of 100 in Virginia between 1882 and 1968. The other lynching victim was Benjamin Thomas.

McCoy was a lifelong resident of Alexandria who lived during the Jim Crow area following Reconstruction, according to the city's website. The lynching of McCoy followed an accusation from his employer of sexually assaulting his daughter. McCoy was arrested without a warrant and held in a cell at the police station. Within hours, a mob was able to overwhelm the officers and drag McCoy out to the southeast corner of Cameron and Lee Streets. According to the city, the mob shot McCoy several times, hit him, and hanged him from a lamppost at the intersection.

No members of the mob were arrested, and no officials were held accountable for the lynching, according to the city's website.

McCoy is memorialized through the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project, a city initiative to help residents understand the city's history of racial hate crimes. Through the Equal Justice Initiative Community Remembrance Project, the city will receive a steel pillar for the two lynching victims, McCoy and Thomas, and plan a permanent remembrance space.

In addition to the remembrance event, the city will light several locations in purple out of respect for McCoy — City Hall, the old Station House Door, the lamp post, and George Washington Masonic Memorial.

In the case of rain, the event will be moved to the Nannie J. Lee Memorial Recreation Center at 1108 Jefferson Street, Alexandria, VA.

Learn more about McCoy's lynching and historical context on the city's website.