It is with great sadness that Arlington Public Library acknowledges the recent passing of prominent Black community leader and activist Dr. Alfred O. Taylor.
Born and raised in Arlington County, Dr. Taylor was a venerable figure in the Green Valley community. His influence extended not only through Arlington County, but also the greater DMV civil rights community.
The title of his book Bridge Builders of Nauck/Green Valley in many ways typifies Dr. Taylor’s legacy: his community involvement and advocacy for residents of Green Valley fostered goodwill and cooperation between disparate citizens, organizations and communities throughout the County. He was also deeply involved with the Green Valley Civic Association and was Chairman of the Deacon’s Ministry at Macedonia Baptist Church.
In addition to his two books in the Arlington Public Library collection (Bridge Builders of Nauck/Green Valley and Following the Trail of Trooper Alfred Pride Buffalo Soldier (1865-1893): a Patriot and a Pawn), Dr. Taylor also gave numerous talks, presentations and programs for the Library over the years.
Dr. Taylor’s spirit and sense of determination is best expressed in his own words, taken from an oral history conducted by the Charlie Clark Center for Local History in 2012:
“One thing about overcoming challenges is you can’t appreciate what you’re doing and where you’re going unless you’ve been through the challenges.
If everything was always that smooth, you’d never know. You could never appreciate the challenges. So, it’s not that we regret the challenges that we went through. We rejoice in the challenges that we went through, because we can better appreciate where we are today.”