29-05-2025
Despite daughters passing, Archie F. Stewart Day celebration continues
SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (WHNT) — Archie F. Stewart lived a life of activism and courage.
Stewart was known for pushing for civil rights at a time when black leadership was in great need.
'He was great at being an educator, a teacher and a husband,' said his grandson Kareem Battle. 'Also, going to school and learning his craft to come back and be a better person to make the community better.'
Born in Jackson County, Stewart watched as a 13-year-old as the Scottsboro Boys trial gripped the nation. Nine black teenage boys were falsely accused of raping two white women.
The boys' fight for survival inspired him to want to help others.
After graduating from college, Stewart became a respected leader in fighting for voting rights in the 1950s and 60s. He was one of the founding members of the Alabama Democratic Conference.
'It's very appropriate that his day is celebrated here now because I recall knowing that the emphasis in the beginning of the civil rights era did not start with Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, but it began with the inaugural Scottsboro Boys trial,' said grandson Kristopher Battles.
Several years ago, Stewart's daughter Tiajuana Cotton organized the Archie F. Stewart Day to be celebrated at the Scottsboro Boys' Museum. Her untimely death on May 7 did not diminish this year's celebration, though, as family and community members gathered to remember her hero and father.
'Today was difficult just being here and speaking and holding back the tears because she followed in her father's legacy so adamantly,' Kristopher Battles explained. 'Myself and my three brothers and my sister, we've all been blessed with musical talents, and we will be here every year doing what we can to continue the tradition and make sure it's a day that we are celebrating and remembering.'
Archie F. Stewart continued as an active champion of civil rights and integration in the state of Alabama until he died in 2005 at the age of 89.
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