Alabama Episcopalians Commemorate 94th Anniversary of Scottsboro Boys Trial with Inaugural Racial Healing Pilgrimage
The Episcopal Church in Alabama, in partnership with The Scottsboro Boys Museum, has held an inaugural racial healing pilgrimage on Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Scottsboro, Alabama, to honor and remember the infamous Scottsboro Boys trial.
Observed just one day shy of the 94th anniversary of the April 6, 1931, trial, the pilgrimage honored the nine African American teenagers known as the Scottsboro Boys, who were falsely accused of raping two white women aboard a train. On this solemn anniversary, over 55 Episcopalians from across the state gathered at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Scottsboro, where the Rev. Polly H. Robb—the rector and visionary behind this inaugural pilgrimage—led participants through a full itinerary.
The day began with morning prayer, followed by a procession to three historically significant sites, each tied to the Scottsboro Boys case. At each stop, pilgrims engaged in scripture readings—including selections from the Psalms—and offered prayers and collects from the Book of Common Prayer, creating a sacred rhythm of reflection, healing, and remembrance.
The pilgrimage’s first stop was the old jail’s original site, where the Boys spent the night of March 25, 1931. “This ground has a sacred connection to the story, although these African Americans spent only a night on March 25, 1931, they are forever known as the Scottsboro Boys,” said Dr. Tom Reidy, Executive Director of the Scottsboro Boys Museum. He continued, “This is a site of an incident that I think we need to keep talking about. This is because if we forget our past, if we forget about these difficult times, we forget our heroes.”
Addressing pilgrims at the Scottsboro Boys Memorial Mural, artist Don Howard, whom the Scottsboro City Council commissioned for the mural, offered some reflections:
“I thought that there was something peculiar because it galvanized the community of Black people when it happened and the world as the biggest story [on racial injustice] at that time,” Howard shared, for a city to embrace the past so they can look forward to the future—especially for a relatively small town in the state of Alabama—I felt it was tremendous, and for them to actively seek out an artist who was a person of color was even a bigger thing.”
The third stop of the pilgrimage was the Jackson County Courthouse, where the Presiding Circuit Judge, John H. Graham, shared a message of hope and accountability with the pilgrims.
“I don’t have much philosophy to share with you or any cure to the problems of the world we face and seem to have always faced other than to say those of us in the court system, I fully believe, try every day to do better than we did yesterday, to do better tomorrow than we did today—to obey, to follow, to observe the Rule of Law, and the belief and decree that we have as [U.S.] Americans that we will pursue life, liberty, and happiness”, he said.
Reflecting on those who intervened to prevent the boys’ lynching, he said, “I think there is a lesson to be learned, and I’ll just tell you for myself—I don’t speak on behalf of anyone—I speak for myself: It’s not going to happen again on my watch if I can possibly stop it.”
Judge Graham brought the original case files of the Boys—documents that led to two landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases, Norris v. Alabama and Powell v. Alabama. These cases laid foundational precedent for ensuring that all citizens have juries of their peers and that all defendants receive adequate legal representation.
The day concluded with a brief homily at the Scottsboro Boys Museum housed in the historic Joyce Chapel, from the Assisting Bishop of the Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Brian Prior. Drawing a powerful theological connection, Bishop Prior paralleled the day’s journey with the Good Friday pilgrimage many Episcopalians observe during Holy Week.
“One of the pilgrimages I look forward to is Good Friday—it is a sacred time where people walk the walk of Jesus. This suggests to you a walk like the one we just had; a walk that made it clear about the injustices that happened to Jesus. The walk that we just experienced makes it clear the injustice that happened to the Scottsboro Boys.”
He encouraged pilgrims to continue sharing the story: “The injustice at the time of Jesus that we only know about because there are those—and ancestors and a great cloud of witnesses—who had told the story over and over again, who would not let the story go away. Friends, your witness today continues to do that for the Scottsboro Boys. I am grateful for those who share this day, grateful for those who have told the stories so we can continue to live in that place and those stories will not go away, and the stories will continue to grow.”
Bishop Prior also called the group to remember that pilgrimage is not an end but a beginning. “Even if you walk alone,” he said, “no pilgrimage is ever truly solitary. We do this work in the community. We do it to respect the dignity of every human being. We do it to move closer to where God is calling us—to a world where love, grace, and justice are not aspirations, but reality.”
Many participants expressed excitement about how moving and educational the experience had been. For Kana Goldsmith, Executive Director of Sawyerville—a ministry deeply rooted in racial reconciliation—the day held personal significance.
“My work at Sawyerville deals with working with children in the same age group as the Scottsboro Boys, and that makes this very emotional for me,” she said. “Today’s learnings drive me even more to ensure that everyone who comes through Sawyerville knows their rights as U.S. citizens and has the opportunity to succeed. I also believe it’s right for white Southerners to uplift and strengthen every Black man and woman in their community.”
This pilgrimage forms part of the Diocese of Alabama’s growing commitment to racial healing and pilgrimage ministry, led by Breanna Carter. It joins a constellation of sacred spaces across the state that hold a deep connection to the Civil Rights Movement. Chief among them is the annual Jonathan Daniels and the Martyrs of Alabama Pilgrimage that honors the Episcopal seminarian Jonathan Daniels, and the 14 other martyrs recognized by the Diocese.
Reflecting on the day’s events, the Rev. Robb—who was inspired by Alabama Bishop Glenda Curry’s vision for racial healing— expressed excitement about the strong turnout for this inaugural pilgrimage and emphasized the importance of continuing to tell the story of the Scottsboro Boys, which helped shape the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.
Dr. Tom Reidy, Executive Director of the Museum, also expressed gratitude for the Diocese’s partnership. “The Museum is always looking for opportunities for collaboration, and the Rev. Robb, who has served on our board for three years, suggested this idea, and it exceeded my expectations,” he said. “I loved that we had the images of the nine defendants, the young African American teenagers, and they were carried throughout the city of Scottsboro. The last time those faces had been together, marching through Scottsboro, they were being marched from a cell to a courtroom. To have those same images in the museum, standing in line—it was amazing. We were fortunate to have this collaboration and will continue to build on it.”
The writer is the Director of Communications. She can be reached at nana@dioala.org