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The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
As civil rights books are pulled from school shelves, one Alabama town is refusing to forget its story
The small city of Scottsboro in Northeastern Alabama is home to a store selling unclaimed luggage, a pretty park filled with geese, and a classic American diner serving some of the best grilled cheeses and soda floats in the South. It was also the location of one of the most significant events in civil rights history – an event that directly impacted the Movement of the 1950s and 60s and had ramifications that are still felt in the United States today. In 1931, nine African American young men and boys were travelling on a Southern Railroad freight train when they became involved in an altercation with a group of white men who were then thrown off the train. When the train pulled into the town of Paint Rock, the Black men were arrested for assault and taken to Scottsboro, Jackson County, where they were jailed. The situation escalated when Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, two white women from Huntsville who were riding the same train and were facing charges of vagrancy and illegal sexual activity, falsely accused the nine African American men and boys of rape. That night a mob gathered at the steps of the jailhouse in Scottsboro baying for blood and threatening to lynch the men. It was only after Sheriff Man Watt stood in front of the crowd and insisted he would kill the first person to come through the door that they backed off. The 'Scottsboro Boys', the youngest of whom was just 13, were tried by the State of Alabama in a series of four trials at the Jackson County Courthouse between April 6 and April 9, resulting in nine convictions and eight death sentences – for a crime that never happened. This was a time when Jim Crow laws were deeply entrenched in the South; when African Americans were relegated to the status of second class citizens, and segregation was both legally and socially enforced. Jackson County was severely impoverished, and many Black residents had moved to the more industrialised cities to seek employment, while those who stayed faced discrimination and disenfranchisement. Following the trial, protests erupted in the north of the United States, and in 1932 the Supreme Court overturned the convictions based on the fact that the men had not received adequate legal representation. Over the following seven years, the State of Alabama repeatedly retried and convicted the nine Scottsboro Boys with the Supreme Court once again overturning the convictions. In total, the men and teens spent 102 combined years in prison (one man was behind bars for nearly 20 years), despite being completely innocent. The first trial occurred more than two decades before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus leading to the famous Bus Boycott. It would be another 30 years before Dr Martin Luther King gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech during the March on Washington in 1963, with President Lyndon Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act into law the following year. Yet these events in the 1930s paved the way for a Civil Rights Movement that changed America – and the world. In an unassuming white brick church just out of the town centre stands the Scottsboro Boys Museum. It was founded in 2010 by local activist Shelia Washington after she uncovered the story of the nine teenagers and became determined that this miscarriage of justice would never be forgotten. But Sheila found herself grappling with a community that would, if fact, rather this dark episode of their history was forgotten. Historian Thomas Reidy, who now serves as executive director of the museum, explains to The Independent that the city feared that it would look bad by being known for a case that exposed the ugly core of racial discrimination in the American South. Thomas, who hails from New York state but now lives in Huntsville, Alabama, adds: 'People who grew up in the 70s, 80s, 90s, they weren't taught this story. Sheila wanted to correct that.' In the face of death threats, hostility from the community and no money – one councilman vowed that the museum would 'never see a penny' of funding from the city – Sheila forged onwards, determined that the Scottsdale Boys' story be told. Thomas said: 'It would have been easy for her to quit. But it became her reason for being, her passion. She had this stubbornness and single mindedness. She persisted.' Sheila dreamed not only of opening the museum, but also of having the men pardoned – of the nine, only one had received a pardon from the State of Alabama before he died. But there was a serious barrier: in 2010, the State did not pardon dead people. Sheila refused to accept this and set about calling congresspeople in order to change the law. This was an almost impossible feat for one person to achieve, yet less than a year after Sheila was told a firm 'no' by the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, the governor Robert Bentley signed the Scottsboro Boys Act into law. In 2013, the nine Scottsboro Boys – Haywood Patterson, Olen Montgomery, Clarence Norris, Willie Roberson, Andy Wright, Ozzie Powell, Eugene Williams, Charley Weems and Roy Wright – received posthumous pardons. The Scottsboro Boys Museum now strives to work with educational facilities to ensure that civil rights stories like this one are not erased from history. Thomas explained that most people think of the Civil Rights Movement as starting with Rosa Parks or Emmett Till (the 14-year-old African American boy who was abducted and lynched in Mississippi in 1955), but many historians consider it began with the passing of the 14th amendment. He says: 'You can't draw a true line from 14th amendment to Martin Luther King without going through Scottsboro. It's as central to the story of civil rights as any other moment.' School groups have visited from across the States – from South Carolina to Chicago – but such was the resistance from the community that it wasn't until 2023, a full 13 years after the museum opened, that the first schoolchildren from Scottsboro itself visited. While the Scottsboro Boys story shows some of the ugliest parts of humanity, Thomas points out that it is also filled with heroes – from the sheriff who stood on the jailhouse steps and refused to let the mob in, to the New York lawyer who fought the Scottsboro Boys case, and the many African Americans who quietly persisted at a grassroots level to stand up against racial discrimination. This is something he tries to convey to the schoolchildren who visit. He said: 'We talk about what it takes to stand above the crowd.' Sheila died in 2021, but the team at the museum have continued with her goal to make Scottsboro known, not for racial hatred, but for reconciliation, healing, and promoting civil rights. This is a theme that is emerging in the state of Alabama, with tourism starting to focus on key locations of the Civil Rights Movement. Visitors are now encouraged to visit places such as Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, site of the brutal Bloody Sunday beatings of civil rights marchers; the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that was bombed in 1963, resulting in the deaths of four young African American girls; and the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church where mass meetings were held to organise the Montgomery Bus Boycott. issues of censorship that are afflicting the United States right now. He adds: 'When schools are forced to pull books off library shelves, museums like this are more important than ever.'
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
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. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Attorney General Baxley to speak at Horton Day of Courage
May 21—Bill Baxley, former Alabama lieutenant governor and attorney general, is scheduled to deliver a speech at the second annual Judge James E. Horton Day of Courage. The event will take place June 14 at noon at First Missionary Baptist Church, 233 Vine St. N.W. "What we're doing is acknowledging or recognizing the courage of Judge James E. Horton, who, on June 22, 1933, overturned Haywood Patterson's second death sentence," said Peggy Allen Towns, author, historian and board member of the planned Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum in Decatur. Patterson was one of the nine Scottsboro boys falsely accused of raping two white women. Within days, eight of the nine boys received death sentences at a trial in Scottsboro. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions, and the retrials took place in Decatur. At Patterson's second trial, one of the accusers admitted the rape was a fabrication. The jury once again convicted him. Horton overturned this verdict. "He wouldn't allow that miscarriage of justice to occur on his watch," said John Allison, Morgan County archivist and museum board member. Allison and Towns said Horton risked a lot with his decision, which was received negatively by the public. It ended his political career. The Day of Courage doesn't just honor Horton, though, according to Towns. "This day is also to recognize the Scottsboro Boys, as well," she said. "It's a day of remembrance of what those nine innocent boys went through." The museum board members also want to honor all the unnamed courageous citizens who took risks during the retrials of the Scottsboro Boys, such as the Black reporters who faced threats of violence when visiting Decatur and the locals who housed them, putting their families at risk. Baxley, this year's keynote speaker, played an important role in the acquittal of one of the Scottsboro Boys, Clarence Norris. As the state attorney general, he helped lawyers gain the support of the state's Board of Pardons and Paroles. Gov. George Wallace ultimately pardoned Norris, who was a fugitive living in New York, in 1976. Last year, at the inaugural Day of Courage, retired Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson gave the keynote address. The event was held at the Morgan County Archives, and the room was packed, according to Towns. A similar turnout is expected this year. Historian and museum board member Rev. Wylheme H. Ragland hopes attendees feel inspired and engaged. "When people leave here, hopefully they'll also be educated and see what a treasure that we have in north Alabama," Ragland said. "We should celebrate that and celebrate how, in all things, there was a Civil Rights Movement, and there's layers and layers of that, even today." — or 256-340-2437
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State funds allocated for Horton Legal Learning Center
May 15—CEOTA is getting a financial boost from the state for the Horton House and Legal Learning Center project that's part of the planned Civil Rights museum, officials said. State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, chairman of the Finance and Taxation Education committee, said CEOTA (Celebrating Old Town with Art) is getting $1.7 million as supplemental funding from the fiscal 2025 budget for capital needs on the Judge James E. Horton Jr. Legal Learning Center. This money will be available in July. Orr also allocated $163,000 annually, starting with fiscal 2026 in October, in the state's general budget for three years to the nonprofit. He said the money will run through Alabama A&M's budget and fund operating expenses. Orr said he included the state appropriations because he "sees this project as transformational for the Northwest Decatur area." This is another major appropriation through the Alabama Historical Commission. In 2023, the Commission awarded a $272,000 grant through the Community Foundation of Greater Decatur for the CEOTA project. CEOTA founder Frances Tate said Monday that she and the CEOTA board are "very pleased" with the latest appropriations. Orr said he thinks the $1.7 million should be enough to finish the Ruby Bates Boarding House on Sycamore Street Northwest and the Horton House on Church Street Northwest. "That will give them enough momentum to fundraise for the last building, which will be most expensive," Orr said, referring to a planned three-story structure for a museum. Tate said the capital allocation will help "start the complex at the Judge Horton House." More private donations will be necessary to complete this portion of the project, she said. Judge James Horton was the judge in the second trial of Haywood Patterson, one of the Scottsboro Boys defendants, in 1933. The trial was in Decatur. Tate and the CEOTA group had Horton's 3,960-square-foot house moved in two sections from Greenbrier to Decatur in October 2023. The move cost $1.44 million with Decatur paying $888,774 of the expense. State Rep. Parker Moore, R-Hartselle, obtained $200,000 in state funding for the move and the Limestone County Commission paid $56,000 for clearing the rights of way along Garrett Road. The Morgan County Hospitality Association gave $250,000 and Decatur-Morgan Tourism added $50,000 to the move. The Morgan County Commission donated the judge's bench in Courtroom 100 located in the Morgan County Courthouse to CEOTA for their museum. The bench was used by Horton during the Scottsboro Boys trial. Tate said they're now determining how each of the rooms in the house will be used in the new center. CEOTA recently acquired property next door, increasing its property to half of an acre, she said. Tate said they're planning to add an annex to the Horton House. This would complete the ultimate goal of creating the Legal Learning Center in which college and universities would partner with CEOTA on curriculum. Orr said CEOTA recently completed a memorandum of understanding with Samford University's Cumberland Law School, which was the judge's alma mater when the school was in Lebanon, Tennessee. (Cumberland is now in Birmingham.) Tate said the $163,000 will be used for administration and setting up the programs and events for the center. "They will partner with us and bring their students over to the Legal Learning Center," Tate said. "We will offer courses taught by judges and lawyers." Work also continues on renovating the Ruby Bates Boarding House, located at 818 Sycamore St. N.W., It's believed to be where one of the Scottsboro Boys accusers stayed during the trial. The Decatur City Council donated the house to CEOTA in 2019. At the time, the estimate for the renovation was $500,000. "We've got to build bathroom, kitchenette, HVAC, communication system, plumbing and more," Tate said. "A lot of work still has to be done." The third, and possibly the largest phase, will be the planned three-story Civil Rights museum. Tate said the architects are working on the Phase 3 plan. CEOTA plans to unveil the architect's design for the museum at a fundraising gala on Nov. 13 at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion, she said. Tate said the size of the Civil Rights museum would depend on how much money they can raise. — or 256-340-2432
Chicago Tribune
25-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Coal dust explosion kills 111 miners
Today is Tuesday, March 25, the 84th day of 2025. There are 281 days left in the year. Today in history: On March 25, 1947, a coal dust explosion inside the Centralia Coal Co. Mine No. 5 in Washington County, Illinois, killed 111 miners; 31 survived. Also on this date: In 1894, Jacob S. Coxey began a march from Massillon (MA'-sih-luhn), Ohio, leading an 'army' of as many as 500 unemployed workers to Washington to demand help from the federal government. In 1911, 146 people, mostly young female immigrants, were killed when a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. garment factory in New York; the tragedy led to legal reforms for workers' rights and workplace safety. In 1931, in the so-called Scottsboro Boys case, nine young Black men were taken off a train in Alabama and accused of raping two white women; after years of convictions, death sentences and imprisonment, they were eventually vindicated. In 1965, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led 25,000 people to the Alabama state Capitol in Montgomery, completing a five-day march from Selma to protest the denial of voting rights to Black Americans. In 1975, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia was assassinated by his nephew, Prince Faisal bin Musaid. (Faisal bin Musaid was executed for the killing three months later.) In 1990, 87 people were killed when fire raced through the Happy Land social club in New York City. (The fire was set by Julio Gonzalez, who had been thrown out of the club following an argument with his girlfriend; Gonzalez died in prison in 2016.) In 1996, an 81-day standoff by the Montana Freemen, an antigovernment militia, began at a ranch near Jordan, Montana. Today's Birthdays: Film critic Gene Shalit is 99. Former astronaut James Lovell is 97. Activist and author Gloria Steinem is 91. Musician Elton John is 78. Actor Bonnie Bedelia is 77. Actor Marcia Cross is 63. Author Kate DiCamillo is 61. Actor Lisa Gay Hamilton is 61. Actor Sarah Jessica Parker is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Tom Glavine is 59. Comedian-actor Alex Moffat (TV: 'Saturday Night Live') is 43. Actor-singer Katharine McPhee is 41. Comedian-actor Chris Redd (TV: 'Saturday Night Live') is 40. Rapper Big Sean is 37. Actor Mikey Madison is 26.
