Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum
(Decatur, Alabama)
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WELCOME TO THE SBC MUSEUM WEBSITE
Our mission is to inform, inspire and engage visitors and benefactors regarding The Scottsboro Boys Trials held in Decatur, Alabama, from 1933 to 1937. The trials involved nine young black boys falsely accused of raping two white women, Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, on a train near Paint Rock, Alabama. Within twelve days of their arrest, the young boys were tried and convicted, and eight were sentenced to death.
That led to retrials and a change of venue from Scottsboro, Alabama, to Decatur, Alabama. To chronicle this significant event, we are developing The Scottsboro Boys - Civil Rights Museum, in Decatur, Alabama, as a 3 Phase development. Phase 1 is restoring the home where Ruby Bates, one of the accusers, was boarded during the trials. Her presence subjected the community to outside agitators who terrorized the predominantly African American neighborhood nightly.
An important note is that the Supreme Court handed down two rulings regarding the trials. The first ruling was Powell v Alabama, where the Court’s opinion was all defendants are entitled to adequate legal counsel during a capital felony. And the second was Norris v Alabama, which guaranteed the inclusion of Blacks on jury rolls.
The website includes images and information for your review. You are encouraged to be informed, inspired, and engaged. Also, please donate and give generously!!!
PROJECT STATUS
The Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum is designed to "house, display and depict Decatur's role in the historic trials of the Scottsboro Boys, while also reflecting the civil rights struggles and victories during that era."
The project consists of 3 phases, with Phase 1 shown above. Phase 2 is the addition of a multi-million-dollar expansion adjacent to Phase 1. Phase 3 is the relocation of the home of Judge James E. Horton (presiding judge of the Scottsboro Boys Trials) to Old Town Decatur in the museum area.
With your valued donation, together, we will turn the
Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum
From Vision to Reality!
PROJECT FOUNDATION
The Scottsboro Boys were nine African American young boys, ages 12 to 19, falsely accused in Alabama of raping two white women on a train in 1931. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial. It is commonly cited as an example of a gross miscarriage of justice in the United States legal system. The Scottsboro Boys spent the two years between their first trials and the second round, which began in March 1933 in Decatur, Alabama, in the deplorable conditions of Depression-Era Alabama prisons. The story of the Scottsboro Boys lives on through the efforts of artists, historians, and scholars. This commitment is what feeds our passion for perpetuating the awareness of the story.