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Group 1 (215)

Help From an Unlikely Hand (Peculiar Nzegbuna)

In 1931 after a fight broke out on the train at the Scottsboro, Alabama station between a group of African American and white boys, nine African American boys, ranging from ages 9 to low 20's, were accused for raping two white women. Despite evidence showing the rape never happened, all nine boys were tried the next day. Initially, the trial only lasted for a day. After eight of nine boys were sentenced to death by the electric chair, and the youngest sentenced to life imprisonment, the Communist Party of the United States intervened and took the case from Alabama to the Supreme Court. At the court, and as the Communist Party of the United States of America as the legal team of the boys, the case was ordered to be redone. While in prison, the Communist Party toured around Europe with the mother of two of the boys, Ada Wright. Unfortunately, it still took eighteen years for the last of the boys to be released.

When students and teachers alike dive in the history of the United States to study the Civil Rights, household names of activists, organizations, and even trials pop up. Most, if not all, of those trials were centred around a certain type of prejudice, either socioeconomic or racial, because that was what the movement was fighting against. One of the more popular of all the court-cases were the Scottsboro Trials.

Upon learning about the case, the nine African American boys are usually the overview. However, as one studies the case further, they come to find out about the help from an unlikely hand. Despite the ideas of scholars like Nikhil Singh and W. E. B. Du Bois stating that the only people capable of helping the black population were blacks themselves, the interference of the Communist Party of the United States on the Scottsboro trials shines a light on the contradiction of Singh, which prove people of other races could use their influence donned onto them by society to fight for equality.

Document 1

This document is a flyer by the Communist Party of the United States of America upon the arrival of Ada Wright, mother of two of the Scottsboro boys, from Europe. The party highlights the European rally. It gives a little glimpse to what occurred during the tour. Ada Wright is portrayed as a symbol of Justice. The party also claims that their fight for justice within the conviction system is "connected with the fight of the white and Negro workers of Harlem against hunger, against discrimination, against racial persecution." The quote references the amount of old and young black men traveling far and wide across the country in hope of finding a job during the Great Depression.

Document 2

This document is another flyer by the Communist Party of the United States of America. Here, they are inviting the public to a parade to celebrate the victories of the Scottsboro trials in New York City. This would mark Mrs. Ada Wright's first public appearance upon her return form her tour in Europe. In the poster, it is also clear that the party sees Ada Wright as an "ambassadress" to workers proving that they are not only fighting against the justice system but for African American workers.

The Scottsboro trials would always remain as one of the most controversial cases in the history of the United States. Despite the girls testifying that they were not raped, the boys were still convicted. Both documents prove the extent of the help the CPUSA offered to the victims of racial oppression during the Scottsboro Trials. The communist party at that time was predominantly white, but they still helped defend an African American group suffering prejudice. Today, however, there is a dark connotation to the communist party. There was a time not too long ago when being a communist in the United States could get one arrested. Whenever someone hears the word alone, they seem to recoil or wince a bit. Despite articles from Miller et al, highlighting the unethical means of aid the communist used in defending the boys, the documents above prove the CPUSA did more good than harm. They offered a platform for Ada wright to speak on the racial injustices in the United States of America, not just in the country, but around Europe. In a way, the CPUSA aided in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement, even though it was through a clean method, but they proved the idea of Singh and W. E. B. Du Bois to be false. Other races could offer help to the Black population.

Notes

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Document 1 Document 14: "Hail the Heroic Scottsboro Mother, Mrs. Ada Wright!" Flyer for 17 December 1932 rally, mimeograph, Clarina Michelson Papers, Tamiment Library, New York University. Included in How Did Women Shape the Discourse and Further Interracial Cooperation in the Worldwide Mass Movement to Free the Scottsboro Boys?, by Sara L. Creed and Hasia Diner. (Binghamton, NY: State University of New York at Binghamton, 2004).
Document 2 Document 13: "Mrs. Ada Wright -- Mother of Two of the Scottsboro Boys -- Just Returned from Europe -- Will Make her First Public Appearance in Harlem," Flyer for 17 December 1932 rally, mimeographed typescript, Clarina Michelson Papers, Tamiment Library, New York University. Included in How Did Women Shape the Discourse and Further Interracial Cooperation in the Worldwide Mass Movement to Free the Scottsboro Boys?, by Sara L. Creed and Hasia Diner. (Binghamton, NY: State University of New York at Binghamton, 2004).