DECATUR — A pair of cornerstone projects preserving Alabama’s history of justice, moral courage, and community resilience will be recognized at the Celebrating Early Old Town with Art fundraising dinner.
The annual CEOTA event will benefit the Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum and the Judge James E. Horton Jr. Legal Learning Center. The benefit is Nov. 13 from 5-8 p.m. at Ingalls Harbor Pavilion in Decatur.
The gala will open with a cocktail reception and jazz performance by Cashmere Williams, recently voted Best Male Jazz Artist by the Alabama Music Awards Committee.
Williams, a Berklee College of Music alumnus and former guitarist for “American Idol” Winner Ruben Studdard, has performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, “The Late Show with David Letterman”, “The View”, and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
During the reception, will be an autograph signing and meet-and-greet with Dr. Tommie “Tonea” Stewart — 2015 White House Champion of Change recipient.
The actress and distinguished professor is known for her roles in “A Time to Kill”, “Mississippi Burning”, “Mama Flora’s Family”, “In the Heat of the Night”, “Touched by an Angel”, and “Matlock”.
Stewart will also deliver the keynote speech celebrating the power of preservation, the promise of education, and the potential of the Museum and Legal Learning Center to serve as a gateway to Alabama’s Civil Rights Trail and a national model for courage and community.
“This event is about more than an elegant dinner — it’s about preserving history and creating pathways for future generations to learn, lead, and stand for justice,” said Dr. Brandon A. Owens Sr., executive director of the Museum and Legal Learning Center.
CEOTA has been instrumental in advancing the restoration of the historic boarding house that will serve as home of the Decatur Scottsboro Boys Civil Rights Museum — the structure where Ruby Bates, one of the accusers, was boarded during the trials. Her presence subjected the community to outside agitators who terrorized the predominantly African American neighborhood nightly.
Exterior rehabilitation has been completed, and current efforts are focused on finishing the museum’s interior restoration and interpretive design, which will house exhibits telling the story of the Scottsboro Boys case and trial, its impact on Decatur’s early Old Town community, and the broader struggle for racial justice in Alabama and across the nation.
The Judge James E. Horton Jr. Legal Learning Center, now in its expansion phase, will include a mock courtroom, classroom spaces, and community meeting rooms, as well as a museum portion highlighting Alabama’s legal history and Judge Horton’s courageous decision during the Scottsboro Boys trials.
Together, these spaces will promote civic engagement, legal literacy, and dialogue on justice and equality.
Tickets are available at http://www.
For more information, visit www.sbcmuseum.org.
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