Discussion on Anti-Lynching Activism and Community-Based Memory at BPL on October 8, 2024

Please join us at the Central Library on Tuesday, October 8, for a discussion led by historians Alex Lichtenstein and Tyler Malugani. "Unmasked: Anti-Lynching Activism and Community-Based Memory" is scheduled in conjunction with the Scottsboro Boys Museum travelling exhibition, which is currently on display in the Grand Commons. A reception will start at 5:30 p.m., and the discussion is set to begin at 6:15 p.m.

The Scottsboro Boys Museum commemorates the lives and legacy of nine young African Americans falsely accused of rape in 1931. They spent 102 years in jail for a crime that never happened. In the 1930s, they became international symbols of race-based injustice in the American South.

There has been no civil rights moment more significant than Scottsboro in the history of the movement. The exhibit celebrates the positive actions of those of all colors, creeds, and origins who have taken a stand against the tyranny of racial oppression.

Next Tuesday, guests will hear from several speakers: The Scottsboro Boys Museum Executive Director Thomas Reidy, Birmingham attorney John Saxon, Sloss Metal Arts Executive Coordinator Tyler Malugani, and our featured speaker Professor Alex Lichtenstein from Indiana University. Dr. Lichtenstein will speak on the topic of anti-lynching activism and community-based memory.

During the program, the museum will announce the winner of its first annual Shelia Washington Award for Lifetime Service to the Civil Rights Movement.

This event is free and open to the public. We hope you will join us!