Moss Kendrix – A History Almost Lost

In 1989, Eugene Thompson, then Director of the historic Alexandria Black History Museum, got a call from The Vault Storage of Temple Hills, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.  The renter of the space holding the goods of Moss Kendrick was overdue and the company had to dump the items. However they sensed the contents were historic. They are; so Thompson got the call.

PR Museum describes Kendtrix, a Morehouse College and Howard University graduate, as “a public relations pioneer who left a lasting legacy and a major imprint on the way African Americans are portrayed through the power of advertising. During his lifetime, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity member designed countless public relations and advertising campaigns that promoted African-American visibility for news organizations, entertainers, and corporate clients including Carnation, the Ford Motor Company, and the Coca-Cola company.”

Kendrix helped to elevate the public imagery of African Americans from buffoonery to reality. I was most fascinated by a Carnation’s promotion that offered consumers a Duke Ellington and Mahalia Jackson record for 50 cents and three coupons.

Kendrix Moss, Jr, his daughter, and granddaughter graced the opening of “Moss H. Kendrix: Reframing the Black Image,” at the museum north of historic Old Towne Alexandria.  Moss, Jr. says he has “no idea what so ever” how his father’s items got to The Vault or why they called the museum in Alexandria. Thompson assumes the owners called him after looking in the phone directory and seeing “Alexandria” at the top of the alphabetized list of museums. Thompson got the priceless collection for only $100.

However, he was afraid that he could not technically keep the memorabilia unless he could find an Alexandria connection. After much sorting and reading, he found a circa 1961 Ebony with LaJeune Houston, the second Black Ms. Canness Film Festival and Alexandria native, on the cover. “Eureka!” is what Thompson recalled saying when he found the Alexandria connection.

“I got only one-third of the vault items that are now in the collection,” says Thompson. He is not sure what happened to the other two-thirds.

A Historic Exhibit in a Historic Museum and Community

The Alexandria Black History Museum was once the Robert H. Robinson Library that the City of Alexandria built for Blacks in 1940 after Blacks had a sit-down at the White library in 1939. “A 10-block radius from this place was the Black community,” says historian Michael Johnson at the festive opening. Johnson grew up and received his primary education in the neighborhood. “I never laid eyes on a White teacher until I was in the seventh grade,” he recalls.

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“We did lose a lot,” Johnson reflected on the integration that Kendrix helped fertilize, “but some doors opened as well.”

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Johnson recently got a grant to help restore Alexandria’s Frederick Douglass Cemetery, where several of his family are buried dating back to his great grandfather Warner Johnson. The younger Johnson, who now lives in Waldorf, Maryland, added that his being able to complete high school in Alexandria is an example of the changes the city has witnessed.  During his father’s time in Alexandria, Black education only went to sixth grade. Blacks who wanted a high school education had to cross the Potomac River to one of Washington, D.C.’s Black high schools.

Today, Johnson works as an Alexandria Community Outreach Specialist. His offspring has continued their education to the college and medical school level. He plans to complete a degree in history at Coppin State this year.

Across the street from the Museum was the historic and original Parker-Gray High School for Blacks. When the city built a newer Parker-Gray nearby, the city built the Charles Houston elementary school on the lot. The Charles Houston Recreational Center has since replaced the schools, but the street between the museum and center honors Parker-Gray.

“We did lose a lot,” Johnson reflected on the integration that Kendrix helped fertilize, “but some doors opened as well.”

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Alexandria Black History Museum
902 Wythe Street
Alexandria Virginia