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Eugene

(67,371 posts) Thu Nov 21, 2013, 02:04 PM Nov 2013

Alabama grants pardons in 1931 Scottsboro Boys rape case [View all]

Source: Reuters

BY VERNA GATES
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama Thu Nov 21, 2013 11:19am EST

(Reuters) - Alabama granted posthumous pardons on Thursday to three of the Scottsboro Boys, a group of black teenagers whose fight against false charges that they raped two white women in 1931 helped spur the modern civil rights movement.

The three men exonerated by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles - Charles Weems, Andy Wright and Haywood Patterson - were among nine youths accused of gang-raping the two women aboard a freight train in Alabama, and convicted by all-white juries in the town of Scottsboro.

The group's legal journey to fight the convictions and win new trials sparked protests over racial injustice and two landmark rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Today, we were able to undo a black eye that has been held over Alabama for many years," said Eddie Cook, the board's assistant executive director.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/21/us-usa-alabama-scottsboro-idUSBRE9AK0X720131121

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Alabama grants pardons in 1931 Scottsboro Boys rape case [View all] Eugene Nov 2013 OP

no, that black eye will remain as a memory to the racist policies that existed then, and still do lostincalifornia Nov 2013 #1

I was thinking the same thing. n/t deafskeptic Nov 2013 #2

K&R, because it still matters. nt Mnemosyne Nov 2013 #3

You gotta be kidding me but... good! JackRiddler Nov 2013 #4

Well, that's timely. At this rate, Alabama will join the 21st Century soon. Comrade Grumpy Nov 2013 #5

They have to join the 20th Century first. n/t. Ken Burch Jan 2014 #17

We recently got the ability to have microbreweries, so we have made it past prohibition! bamacrat Jan 2014 #26

It's a sad fact that Alabama was run by Democrats back then. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #6

Who promptly jumped ship (those still alive that is,) to the GOP in 1964. Archae Jan 2014 #7

No. The Gov was a Dem from 1874 to 1987. And no Rep senator until 1981. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #8

do you know the history of the south, the dixiecrats ? JI7 Jan 2014 #9

Yes, I know the history. Do you? Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #10

and he was a dixiecrat , who do you think the "reagan democrats" were in 1980 ? JI7 Jan 2014 #11

Funny that Wallace was a Dem gove from 63 to 67 and then from 71 to 79 & 83 to 87. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #12

the dem party is today is mostly made JI7 Jan 2014 #13

the southern democrats of yesterday are the southern Republicans of today. olddad56 Jan 2014 #15

black people in the south vote Democratic, it's the racist whites who mostly vote republican JI7 Jan 2014 #16

So it was black people who kept voting for George Wallace? Well I'll be! Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #19

black people did support george wallace during earlier times before he became a national JI7 Jan 2014 #20

So the racists Ds turned R after Wallace left office in 87? Just want make sure I get your timeline. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #22

they turned at different times, you probably think black people became fully equal JI7 Jan 2014 #23

I believe black people were fully equal from the moment of their creation. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #24

of course i disagree, i don't deal in bs, black people are not fully equal now JI7 Jan 2014 #25

Wow. So, are you one of those folks who thinks they are only worth 3/5 of a person? Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #27

I'm a minority myself JI7 Jan 2014 #28

You need to get to a history class. A good one. kwassa Jan 2014 #30

So you agree that the Dems were racists during that period? Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #31

No, I don't. Some Democrats were racist during that period. kwassa Jan 2014 #32

Yeah, but the others were OK with benefitting from racist votes. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #33

How did they benefit from racist votes? kwassa Jan 2014 #34

The governors and senators and reps to to Congress. Like Wallace, the multiple-elected governor. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #35

No. FDR benefited from racist Southern Democrats. kwassa Jan 2014 #37

So why did they keep electing Wallace as a Dem governor after 1968? Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #38

This is before they became Republicans, and this is local to Alabama, as well. kwassa Jan 2014 #39

What about presidential, senatorial and congressional elections? Pterodactyl Feb 2014 #40

Support him how? El_Johns Feb 2014 #41

We all know what his party registration was. Ken Burch Jan 2014 #18

By his 1983-87 stint, Wallace had changed his stance Art_from_Ark Jan 2014 #21

Dixiecrats of 1931 have little to do with the party of today... Blue_Tires Jan 2014 #14

Much time has passed. The philosophy and make-up of both parties has changed. /nt Ash_F Jan 2014 #29

Except for Robert Byrd. He was always a racist. Pterodactyl Jan 2014 #36