The Arlandria-Chirilagua Community Center opened in December 2004 after a three-year campaign led by youth and adults of the Arlandria-Chirilagua community and over $100,000 in small donations made by TWU membership. In addition, contributions from the City of Alexandria, the Meyer Foundation, the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, U.S. Representative James Moran, and BB&T Bank helped make the Center possible. Alexandria United Teens painted murals on the building to celebrate the growing diversity of Northern Virginia, and volunteers from Saint Mary’s created a Library for Social Change on the second floor.

The Arlandria-Chirilagua Community Center houses a multi-use community room, the offices of TWU, and non-profit and commercial rental offices. The community room is used by various community groups, unions, and people of faith, and our members gather here to socialize, struggle, and strategize together. Over the years, weddings have been held, campaigns hatched, and victories celebrated in the community room.

The legacy continues today as TWU staff and members conduct leadership trainings, Homework Help, the Summer Youth Institute, and countless community meetings where we organize and build power to win change for our people.