SCOTTSBORO STORIES, BLOG & NAVIGATION GUIDE

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The "Scottsboro Stories" blog reflects the writings, photographs, arrangements, opinions and musings of me, Garry L. Morgan, only. I do not represent the Scottsboro Boys Museum or the Scottsboro Multicultural Foundation - the parent organization of the Scottsboro Boys Museum. I receive no profit from this endeavor. This blog is for educational purposes and that of open expression about racial and sexual discrimination, institutional and personal racism and the deadliest war of all time - "The Culture War."


SCOTTSBORO BOYS MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER STORIES

The Ledger: "Scottsboro, Ala., Museum Opens to Mark a Shameful Case https://www.theledger.com/news/20100221/scottsboro-ala-museum-opens-to-mark-a-shameful-case

Scottsboro Boys Museum: https://scottsboroboysmuseum.org/



Scottsboro Boys Museum on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sbmuseum/


Showing posts with label Race Relations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race Relations. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

The Inconvenient Truth - Black American Lynchings and The Use of The "N" Word.

Fair Use for non-profit educational display. 
Story and picture from Face Book
Excerpt taken from the article, "Black Women Lynched in America," photo is of Laura Nelson.


Black American Lynchings and The Use of The "N" Word.

"American mobs lynched some 5000 Black Americans since 1859, scores of whom were women, several of them p...regnant. Rarely did the killers spend time in jail because the white mobs and the government officials who protected them believed justice mean't (just us) white folks. Lynching denied Black American's the right to a trial or the right to due process. No need for a lawyer and a jury of your peers: the white community decided what happened and what ought to be done. After the whites accused Laura Nelson of killing a white deputy In Oklahoma, they raped this Black woman, tied her to a bridge trestle and for good measure, they lynched her son from a telephone pole. Did the white community react in horror after viewing the dangling corpses of Laura Nelson and her son? No, they came by the hundreds, making their way by cars, horse driven wagons, and by foot to view the lynching. Dressed in their Sunday best, holding their children’s hands and hugging their babies, the white on-lookers looked forward to witnessing the spectacle of a modern day crucifixion. They snapped pictures of Laura Nelson, placed them on postcards and mailed them to their friends boasting about the execution. They chopped off the fingers, sliced off the ears of Ms. Holbert, placed the parts in jars of alcohol and displayed them in their windows.

White America today know little or nothing about lynching because it contradicts every value America purports to stand for. Black Americans, too, know far too little about the lynchings because the subject is rarely taught in school. Had they known more about these lynchings, I am almost certain that Black Americans would have taken anyone to task, including gangster rappers, for calling themselves niggers or calling Black women “hoes” and “bitches.” How could anybody in their right mind call these Black women who were sexually abused, mutilated, tortured and mocked the same degrading name spoken by their murderers? What Black woman in her right state of mind would snap her fingers or tap her feet to the beat of a song that contained the same degrading remarks that the whites uttered when they raped and lynched them.

The lynchers and the thousands of gleeful spectators called these Black women niggers when they captured them, niggers when they placed the rope around their necks and niggers when their necks snapped. Whites viewed Black women as hated black things, for, how else can one explain the treatment of Mary Turner? The lynch mob ignored her cries for mercy, ripped off her clothes, tied her ankles together, turned her upside down, doused her naked body with gas and oil, set her naked body on fire, ripped her baby out of her, stomped the child to death and laughed about it. Blacks purchased Winchesters to protect themselves, staged demonstrations, created anti-lynching organizations, pushed for anti-lynching legislation and published articles and books attacking the extralegal violence.

So who are our real heroes? Lil Kim Is not a hero. Oprah is not a hero. Whoopie Goldberg is not a hero. Michael Jordan is not a hero. Dennis Rodman is not a hero. They are entertainers, sport figures, creations of the media, media icons and they are about making huge sums of money and we wish these enterprising stars well. Mary Turner, Laura Nelson, Marie Scott and Jennie Steers and countless others who died painful, horrifying deaths are your true historical heroes. Niggers they were not, bitches they were not and hoes they were not. They will not go down in history for plastering their bodies with tattoos, inventing exotic diets, endorsing Gatorade, embracing studio gangsterism. They were strong beautiful Black women who suffered excruciating pain, died horrible deaths. Their legacy of strength lives on. These are my heroes. Make them yours as well".

Before you even form your mouth again to use the "N" word, please consider the inhumanity behind the origin of the word, consider the history of pain and death tied to that word and vow to never use it again, ever!""

Excerpt taken from the article, "Black Women Lynched in America".
Attached photo is of Laura Nelson. (Fair Use Rights for non-profit education.)

Fair Use Rights for non-profit educational use
We must never forget our history so that we may never repeat our mistakes.



Tuesday, September 10, 2013

50 Years Ago - The Birmingham News Reports on the Ending of Segregation in Alabama



September 1963 was a pivotal month for the Civil Rights Movement and Alabama. Violence increased and change was knocking at the door. No longer could institutional racism, personal racism and Jim Crow laws be tolerated in the United States of America. President Kennedy activated the Alabama National Guard to enforce integration. Terrorism by racist groups in Alabama threatened our state and nation. Children's lives were lost due to the murderous hatred of white racists.

Gov. George Wallace Stand in the Door Speech: http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/schooldoor.html

The ending of Segregation-1963-Birmingham News Stories: http://topics.al.com/tag/This%20Day%20in%201963/posts.html

 September 1963 Daily News Reports From Alabama
Robert Chambliss, Charles Cagle identified as Birmingham bombing suspects (Sept. 30, 1963)

2 men taken into custody in 16th Street Baptist Church bombing (Sept. 29, 1963)

A.G. Gaston, Arthur Shores: 'We still have faith in Birmingham' (Sept. 28, 1963)

King to Birmingham: Negotiate or demonstrations resume (Sept. 27, 1963)

Teens accused of killing Virgil Ware free on bond; Boutwell cuts short New York trip (Sept. 26, 1963)

2 bombs explode in Birmingham but no injuries reported (Sept. 25, 1963)

Emissaries of JFK arrived in Birmingham; injunction signed against Wallace (Sept. 24, 1963)

8 people indicted for conspiracy to interfere with Birmingham school integration order (Sept. 23, 1963)

Teens told of shooting Virgil Ware; Johnny Robinson laid to rest (Sept. 22, 1963)

Editorials denounced Birmingham bombings; Wallace responded to Yale snub (Sept. 21, 1963)

Yale withdrew Wallace invitation, bombing rumors spread (Sept. 20, 1963)

Wallace donated to West End private school effort; school investigation order reprinted (Sept. 19, 1963)

Bombing reward fund reached $76,000; Birmingham leaders called to White House (Sept. 18, 1963)

Carole Robertson laid to rest; Wallace, NAACP criticize bombing investigation (Sept. 17, 1963)

Bells tolled for city-wide minute of prayer; Kennedy called for justice (Sept. 16, 1963)

4 little girls killed in church bombing, 2 young men shot to death (Sept. 15, 1963)

'Dynamite Bob' Chambliss offered $1,000 reward in stabbing of Birmingham detective's daughter (Sept. 14, 1963)

150 student demonstrators filled Birmingham Mayor Albert Boutwell's office (Sept. 13, 1963)

Woodlawn, Banks high school students pushed away demonstrators (Sept. 12, 1963)

In Midfield, 5,000 protested integration of schools (Sept. 11, 1963)

Kennedy federalized National Guard to integrate Alabama public schools (Sept. 10, 1963)

State troopers turned black students away from Birmingham schools (Sept. 9, 1963)

A.G. Gaston: Bombing of home 'doesn't represent the majority of the citizens' (Sept. 8, 1963)

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth: 'We have come this far by faith -- not by violence' (Sept. 7, 1963)

Federal appeals court ordered Birmingham schools reopened (Sept. 6, 1963)

Birmingham school board officially closed integrated schools (Sept. 5, 1963)

Riots broke out as Birmingham schools integrate, Shores home bombed again (Sept. 4, 1963)

State troopers arrived in Birmingham; 200 people demanded Birmingham schools close (Sept. 3, 1963)

Wallace denounced integration in Labor Day speeches; troopers surrounded Tuskegee school (Sept. 2, 1963) (video)

Pastors urged peaceful response as Birmingham schools integrate (Sept. 1, 1963)

For more information - The Southern Oral History Project on You Tube, A valuable resource for Race Relations history: http://www.youtube.com/user/southernoralhistory/videos

Friday, July 26, 2013

Race Relations in the United States and the Trayvon Martin Murder Case


UPDATE: Violent racists are terrorists and hate crimes are acts of terrorism: "The Sheriff of Franklin County, Tenn., says he and his investigators have learned a lot about hate groups since they began investigating a March killing...what he has learned about the Aryan Nations and similar groups is not anything he really ever wanted to know." http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2013/apr/24/white-supremacists-still-alive-and-well/

POLL RESULTS: "A single event can take on great symbolic importance and change people’s perceptions of reality, especially when the media devote nearly constant attention to that event. The big media story of the killing of Trayvon Martin and the trial of George Zimmerman probably does not change the objective economic, social, and political circumstances of blacks and whites in the U.S. But it changed people’s perceptions of race relations." MSNBC/WSJ Poll- http://www.psmag.com/culture/how-the-zimmermanmartin-case-hurt-race-relations-in-the-united-states-63435/

President Obama's Remarks on the Trayvon Martin Case



28 COMMON RACIST ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS THAT INDICATE A DETOUR OR WRONG TURN INTO WHITE GUILT, DENIAL OR DEFENSIVENESS
  https://www.stcloudstate.edu/care/resources.aspx

RACE POWER and POLICY, DISMANTLING STRUCTURAL RACISM

http://racialequitytools.org/resourcefiles/race_power_policy_workbook.pdf

Monday, February 4, 2013

Will the Exoneration of the "Scottsboro Boys" Correct Racial Injustice?



Jul 26, 1937- Titled "Enjoying Their Freedom." Byline on reverse of photo reads: Samuel Liebowitz and the 4 youths he defended in the famed Scottsboro case wave farewell as they leave for New York after viewing a movie at Cincinnati. Those freed are Eugene Williams, Roy Wright, Willie Roberson and Olen Montgomery. (original press photo owned  by G. Morgan purchased from Historical Images-Memphis, Tn. May 9, 2012)
 
There is much being said about the exoneration of the Scottsboro Defendants known as the "Scottsboro Boys." But is it the right thing to do, will it correct the old sickness of racism or right the wrong of 80 years ago?

 No, unless there is an action to correct current injustice and racial discrimination.

I do not believe the legislature has any power to reverse a judicial decision of a court of law in a criminal case. That is called the separation of powers, Alabama Constitution - Article III, Section 43; U.S. Constitution Articles 1,2,3. The governor cannot pardon a dead person according to the Department of Pardons. "State rules don’t allow posthumous pardons by the state parole board."  

http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/alabama_lawmakers_seek_pardon.html

Quotes from the above article on al.com: ""It’s past time to right this wrong that was perpetrated back 80 years ago,” said Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, one of the sponsors of the legislation. Historian Wayne Flynt said it is almost universally agreed by people who have studied the case that the nine youths were not guilty."

The wrong of 80 years ago was corrected by the Civil Rights Act, Voting Rights Act and the removal of racist Jim Crow laws from our justice system. In this case politicians and others are seeking publicity from the suffering of the Scottsboro Defendants. Mr. Flynt's comments are true, however "it is almost universally agreed...the nine youths were not guilty" is not a valid reason for a pardon or exoneration.

What does an exoneration for the Scottsboro Defendants do today to correct injustice and facilitate race relations education? Nothing unless:

1) Significant indigent defense funds must be provided for the poor. Currently the large majority of prisoners in Alabama and the United States are minorities. According to Department of Justice statistics http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/p11.pdf (Table 7 of the link pg 7) minority males comprise nearly twice the number of whites in the prison system. When looking at the statistics for the incarceration rates per 100,000 population the racial discrimination is dramatic and revealing (table 8, pg 8 of the DOJ document link); for male minorities (black and hispanic) the incarceration rate is 8.9 times the rate for white incarcerations; for female minorities the incarceration rate is equally dismal at 3.9 times the incarceration rate for white females. To solve this problem adequate defense funds must be provided and race relations education programs addressing discrimination and racism in our schools must be implemented.

2) Funding for race relations education in our school system designed to address the age old disease of racism. The creation of a Race Relations Education position within our school systems to: a)develop a race relations curriculum, and b) teach race relations related subjects for the purpose of ending racism in our state. An example may be found in Seattle, Washington: "The position comes with a broad job description that includes developing a district wide program to train staff, parents and community members on cultural awareness and understanding; devising instructional methods designed to combat institutional racism; and responding to requests for information and support from schools, departments, staff and families. http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Seattle-Pub...

If an Act of the Legislature to provide adequate indigent defense funds and a state wide system of race relations education was created in the name of the Scottsboro Defendants and attached to any bill which would attempt to exonerate the Scottsboro Defendants then the efforts of many would be well worth it. As it stands the current effort to pardon or exonerate the Scottsboro Defendants is nothing more than a charade and feel good effort to facilitate publicity for politicians and glory seekers. The bottom line is this: Race Relations Education is the key to end racial discrimination, "put your money where your mouth is" Legislature and Governor stop the glory seeking on the backs of the Scottsboro Defendants horrendous suffering at the hands of Jim Crow injustice. 


"Let Justice be done though the heavens may fall." Judge James E Horton. Original photo from World Wide Photo's Cleveland Bureau (owned by G. Morgan purchased on Jun 29, 2011 from Historical Images, Memphis, Tn.) Reverse reads:
 

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

National Museum of African American History

- President Obama Ground Breaking at the Museum - 

The Smithsonian Institution: "Legislation was signed in 2003 establishing the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The Museum’s building is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. NMAAHC is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and exhibition of African American historical and cultural material reflecting the breadth and depth of the experiences of individuals of African descent living in the United States. Currently, in its pre-building phase, the museum is presenting exhibitions, producing publications, hosting public programs, and building its collections. Its growing collections include material culture, documents, and art from era of slavery, the period of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement, and more recent developments in history and culture from 1968 to the present. This is a unique opportunity for students to work with a museum-in-the-making, and to contribute to the research for its exhibitions and programs."

"The collections, exhibitions, research, publications, and educational programs serve the Museum’s basic mission: to inspire a broader understanding of African American history and culture in a national and international context. In addition to exhibitions, the Museum interprets history and culture through performances and hands on activities, as well as music from America’s past."

"The Museum's programmatic objectives are flexible enough to encourage the creation of projects tailored to students' interests and needs. The student will have opportunities to develop and engage in a variety of projects that may include oral history projects, regional history, as well as art and cultural history. Under the supervision of museum staff, there is also the opportunity to engage in curriculum development and program evaluation projects. The Museum's growing permanent collection of artifacts, archives, photographic holdings, and art offers scholars interested in African American material culture excellent opportunities for research." Smithsonian Institution, P. O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Lonnie G. Bunch, Director

"Its seven levels over more than 323,000 square feet are planned to provide a sweeping history that confronts racial oppression and highlights the achievements of the famous and the everyday life of ordinary people. Its bronze and glass facade, known as the Corona, represents traditional African architecture." http://www.floridatoday.com/usatoday/article/53199204?odyssey=mod%7cnewswell%7ctext%7cnews0302%7cs

Atlanta Journal Constitution, "New black history museum rising on National Mall" http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/new-black-history-museum-1358185.html

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Historical Event at The Jackson County Alabama Courthouse, Advancements of a Nation and People, History of the Scottsboro Boys Trials - 1931 - 2011 - 80 Years of History

 Jackson County Courthouse as it appeared in 1931, "Corbis" photo courtesy of Steve Kennamer, taken in April 1933.
 The Scottsboro defendants in Scottsboro behind the old Jackson County Jail under guard by the Alabama National Guard. Photo April 1931, The Progressive Age.
Rare photo of inside the courtroom at the Jackson County Courthouse,Jury Venire, April 1931. Photo Courtesy of Steve Kennamer.

Friday, March 25th, 2011, 10:00AM, a ceremony began surrounding the bench of Judge A.E. Hawkins, the racist Jackson County Circuit Court Judge whose rulings resulted in one of the most heinous miscarriages of justice in our nations history, "The Scottsboro Boys Trials." 

80 years to the day of the arrest of the Scottsboro defendants, 9 young men caught in the struggle of the Great Depression and a cultural war of racial discrimination and legal injustice of Jim Crow America. March the 25th 1931 began one of the most tragic events in American legal and cultural history lasting 45 years when Governor George Wallace of Alabama pardoned the last Scottsboro defendants, Clarence Norris in October of 1976. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scottsboro/scottsb.htm

Why you may ask is this a historical occasion, the Honorable Victoria Roberts, Presiding Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, a Black Woman. Judge Roberts sat behind the "bench" which Judge A.E. Hawkins presided in the "Scottsboro Boys" trials and told the story of the "Scottsboro Boys" trials and what the case represents to United States Jurisprudence today.


 This ceremony celebrates the advancements and achievements of Race Relations in Scottsboro, Alabama and our nation, it celebrates and memorializes the sacrifices of the young 9 Scottsboro defendants, it celebrates and memorializes the sacrifices of those who gave their lives so that Civil Rights and Racial Equality is the rule of our laws instead of the exception, it celebrates education and justice as a tool to overcome racial prejudice. Story from the Daily Sentinel:  http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_0b87f4d4-5729-11e0-94e8-001cc4c03286.html

A plaque exists on the south side of the Jackson County Courthouse Square telling a short story of the trials. This was the back of the program dedication ceremony describing the plaque. Click on the image for an expanded view.

 This week, April 4 thru April 8 2011, 80 years after the same days of 1931,  marks the conviction and death sentence of Clarence Norris and Charlie Weems in their trial; Haywood Patterson's trial, sentenced to death; Andy Wright, Willie Roberson, Ozie Powell, Olen Montgomery and Eugene Williams trial, sentenced to death.

Roy Wright, alleged to be age 12 ( Evidence at the Decatur trials demonstrated he was 13, a juvenile at arrest.) was tried as an adult in a seperate trial, the jury could not reach a verdict due to his youth, a hung jury by one vote.  http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scottsboro/sb_acct.html

One day I pray and hope that we as a nation may be able to accept and judge all people based on their personal character, not the color of their skin or cultural background related to race, creed, sex or religious preference. Unfortunately, as a nation and culture we are not to that point at this time in our history but we have made advancements thru the sacrifices of a few. We as a people and nation have further to travel in the most deadly of wars, the "Culture War" for the souls of our citizens.


May God grant us the power to overcome racial prejudice. Education is the key to overcoming the ignorance of racial prejudice. Education is what the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center represents, it is our mission and represents our future. As history goes, the story has just begun,