$20 million campaign seeks to spotlight Alabama city’s role in historic Scottsboro Boys case

A non-profit organization in Decatur is launching an ambitious $20 million fundraising campaign to elevate the city’s significant role in the infamous Scottsboro Boys trials. The effort, spearheaded by Celebrating Early Old Town with Art (CEOTA), aims to establish the Northern Gateway to Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail, linking local history to the broader Alabama Civil Rights Trail.

Preserving a Pivotal Chapter of History

CEOTA founder Frances Tate emphasized that the Scottsboro Boys case holds global significance. Birmingham attorney Robert Baugh, a Decatur native, noted that the case was once as high-profile as the O.J. Simpson trial, yet its local roots were long ignored. The project centers on the restoration of a historic boarding house in the city's "Old Town" district, where Ruby Bates—a key accuser who later recanted—stayed during the trial.

The boarding house is being converted into the Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum. With approximately 75% of the restoration complete, plans are underway for a three-story addition that will serve as a premier space to educate visitors on the community and legal environment of the 1930s.

A Legal Legacy

The initiative also features the repurposing of the former home of Judge James E. Horton Jr., donated by his family. Located near the museum, the site is becoming the Judge James E. Horton Jr. Legal Learning Center. The center will include classrooms and a mock courtroom, with academic partnerships already established with Alabama A&M, Athens State University, the University of North Alabama, and Cumberland Law School.

Judge Horton is remembered for sacrificing his career to grant a retrial to defendant Haywood Patterson, choosing to prioritize justice over political pressure. "He chose justice over politics," said Tate. "His courage is something that should motivate each one of us in our city to stand up and do what is morally right."

Securing the Future

The project has already garnered over $5 million in support, bolstered by efforts from State Sen. Arthur Orr and State Rep. Parker Moore. The new campaign aims to raise $5 million within the first year, followed by $15 million over the next two to three years. "The state has made a considerable investment in this project," Sen. Orr noted. "But it’s now time for the local community, the Tennessee Valley area to step up and get behind it."

The historic case eventually led to landmark Supreme Court rulings affirming the right to effective counsel and the prohibition of excluding Black citizens from criminal juries. For more information, visit the official site here.