The Du Bois Freedom Center, The Scottsboro Boys Museum to Host Travel Exhibit
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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.—The Du Bois Freedom Center hosts The Scottsboro Boys Traveling Exhibit, opening Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Center's Main Street office, located at 309 Main Street in Great Barrington.
Presented byThe Scottsboro Boys Museum in Scottsboro, Alabama, the exhibit will remain on view through late April.
The exhibit tells the story of nine Black teenagers who became international symbols of racial injustice in the 1930s. The Scottsboro Boys case sparked global outrage and was the foundation for two paramount U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Its legacy to the civil rights movement is immeasurable.
"This exhibit connects the Scottsboro Boys' legacy to the enduring fight for justice that W.E.B. Du Bois championed," said Dr. John D. Lloyd, Interim Executive Director of the Du Bois Freedom Center. "We are honored to bring this history to Massachusetts."
The partnership between the Du Bois Freedom Center and the Scottsboro Boys Museum brings together two seminal forces in civil rights history. It explores the NAACP's involvement in the Scottsboro Boys case, the responses of communities in the North—particularly in Massachusetts—and the enduring legal strategies that emerged from the case, many of which continue to shape justice efforts today.
This will be the first showing of the travel exhibit outside of Alabama. Dr. Thomas Reidy, Executive Director of The Scottsboro Boys Museum, said, "We have shown it throughout the state, but this is its first journey above the Mason-Dixon line."
In conjunction with the exhibit, the Du Bois Freedom Center and the Scottsboro Boys Museum will host a moderated conversation on Thursday, February 12, at 5:00 p.m. at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The exhibit will be open for viewing prior to the discussion. The program will feature Dr. Thomas Reidy and Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste, Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at UMass Amherst, and will be moderated by Marcus P. Smith, History and Archival Fellow at the Du Bois Freedom Center.
"The history of the Scottsboro Boys Case—and the work of the Scottsboro Boys Museum—is both inspiring and essential, highlighting the powerful role museums can play in fostering community and advancing justice," said Marcus Smith.
More information about the associated events or the travel exhibit is available at www.thescottsboroboysmuseum.
