Reverend Bell, it would mean so much to so many people if you could reconsider the timeline for purchase of Joyce Chapel UMC, the current home of the Scottsboro Boys Museum in Scottsboro.
I realize that you have another offer to entertain from an anonymous source and you are in a position to make the best decision for the UMC, but perhaps giving the entire matter pause for a moment would show good-faith effort by the Church to honor both history and the good deeds that the Foundation/Museum is doing for people in the community, young and old.
Scottsboro always gets such a bad reputation because of the unfortunate location of the trial; showing any amount of hasty decision-making, or throwing the museum out, will only further the notion that Scottsboro hasn’t ever and never will show respect for what happened there.
I very respectfully ask that you just give the matter your kindest thoughtful consideration.
…and he so very nicely replied that (I won’t quote it word for word because it is a personal communication) he is all in favor of making everything work for the foundation/museum. It does seem as though there was some miscommunication at the city council meeting that had a lot of people surprised and bewildered. The miscommunication was not from him.
Donations to further the purchase of the property may be sent to:
The Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center
PO Box 1557
Scottsboro, AL 35768