Herndon is planning a historical marker that addresses the history of racial segregation in the city, particularly as it relates to the Herndon Fortnightly Library (768 Center Street).

City staff discussed the proposal at a meeting on Thursday, August 15, with the Herndon Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (HDEIC).

According to Lisa Gilleran, Herndon’s community development director, the library’s origins are already noted on a historical plaque erected several years ago. It began as a private research library for the Fortnightly Club, a women’s study group that met every two weeks, before making books available for the public to borrow in 1900.

However, members of the Herndon Friends Meeting, a Quaker organization based in the former Fortnightly Club building at 660 Spring Street, asked that the sign include more information about the library’s racial segregation.

“The Friends approached the city and asked that the existing marker be changed to reflect the fact that the Fortnightly Club library did not admit African Americans and was only accessible to whites,” Gilleran said.

City staff agreed, but suggested that the information should include not only the library’s segregationist past, but also the history of segregation in Herndon.

“To accommodate the additional information, it was decided that the original marker would be retained but a second marker would be added,” Gilleran said.

The new marker will be placed next to the existing one in front of the original Fortnightly library on Spring Street. City staff spoke with community members who experienced segregation to develop the language.

Council member Pradip Dhakal, chair of the HDEIC, told FFXnow that the proposed marker is intended to honor the history of racial segregation that was prevalent in Herndon well into the 1970s.

“The city, in coordination with the Herndon Friend’s Meeting, conducted research on this issue to ensure the marker appropriately reflected history,” Dhakal said. “This research included firsthand interviews with individuals who experienced segregation in the city, particularly at the Fortnightly Library.”

At its meeting last week, the HDEIC also reviewed the draft language and made minor changes.

The city is now looking for members of Herndon’s African-American community who experienced segregation to review the wording “to make sure the design reflects the experiences,” Gilleran said, adding that they hope to complete the project soon.