Volunteer Arlington has recognized county resident Alfred O. Taylor Jr. with its second annual Beloved Community Award for his lifetime of service and community activism. The organization presented the honor to Taylor during its MLK Day of Service on Monday Jan. 15.
The Beloved Community Award recognizes an exemplary leader who embodies Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a community absent of poverty, hunger and hate, where everyone is cared for.
Taylor has been civically engaged his entire life, especially in his historically Black neighborhood of Green Valley (formerly known as Nauck), which at one time was nearly 100% Black. His book Bridge Builders of Nauck/Green Valley: Past and Present, chronicles more than 100 Green Valley residents who established the fabric of community—notably during segregation, when Black residents were unwelcome and denied basic services in other parts of the county. That storytelling has cemented Green Valley’s legacy for future generations.
“As a community historian, Dr. Taylor has given us all a gift,” Lisa Fikes, president and CEO of the Leadership Center for Excellence, stated in a press release. “He cared enough to capture the stories of leaders working daily to create a beloved community during segregated times. Through Dr. Taylor’s vision and collection of these stories, we all have the chance to be reminded of our painful history, yet remember and appreciate the heroes who cared for their neighbors through it all. They, like Dr. Taylor, serve as guiding lights for our future.”
Additionally, Taylor served as president of the Green Valley Civic Association and as chairman of the Deacon’s Ministry at Macedonia Baptist Church. He was instrumental in the neighborhood’s recent effort to reclaim its original name to better reflect its African-American roots. (For much of the 20th century, the neighborhood was called Nauck after John D. Nauck, a Confederate Army soldier and land developer.) Taylor dedicated much of his professional life to education.
Volunteer Arlington is a partnership between the Leadership Center for Excellence and Arlington County. It’s annual MLK Day of Service brings more than 1,000 volunteers together to honor King’s legacy through a day of service projects. Taylor is the second recipient of the Beloved Community Award, launched in 2023.