In 1801, a wealthy landowner who lived in present-day Arlington County freed his slaves and their descendants. His deed of emancipation would have ripple effects across Northern Virginia—especially for one woman, Julia Roberts, who sued over her long-promised freedom while living near the Barcroft, Arlington Forest, and Buckingham neighborhoods. Her case eventually wound up before the U.S. Supreme Court in Adams v. Roberts (1844). Her story is one of personal bravery in the face of unimaginable injustice, but it is also a story of how the law was available as a tool for seeking freedom.
Zachary Newkirk is a voting rights and election attorney whose interest in local history began after he and his wife bought an early 1900s farmhouse. He currently serves as the Yorktown Civic Association President and is on the board of the Langston Boulevard Alliance. His article on Julia Roberts’ freedom suit appears in the 2025 issue of The Arlington Historical Magazine.
This April 2026 event will be held at the Marymount University Library Auditorium and via Zoom.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS and FREE PARKING: Attendees planning to attend the event in-person should enter the Marymount University campus at the library gate on N. 26th Street.
- From Glebe Road going north, take a right onto 26th Street.
- Pass through the stop light at the intersection of 26th and Old Dominion Drive.
- Pass the intersection with Yorktown Road
- Enter the campus through the next gate on your left. The library is to your left as you enter the campus.
- Free garage parking is just past the library at the bottom of the small incline. (Handicapped parking is immediately to your right as you enter through the gate onto campus.)
If the university has lowered the garage gates, push the button and let them know you’re here for an Arlington Historical Society event in the library. To leave, push the button and they’ll raise the gate.
ZOOM AVAILABLE: If you can’t be there in person, you can zoom in, but you must register by the end of Wednesday, April 8, 2026 to get the zoom information. Click here to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqD9Kt0kIgGA5RU7LUdKy1jNKDmA985VGTsUeqz4TTydsDhg/viewform
You’ll get an email on the morning of the event (Apr 9, 2026) with Zoom details.
This event is one of the monthly series of free public programs sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society. This event is hosted courtesy of the Marymount University politics program’s American Heritage Initiative. For more information, please email: info@arlingtonhistoricalsociety.org.
