The Fourth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Unity Celebration was recently held at the historic Joyce Chapel United Methodist Church. The church has records dating back to 1878 and was rebuilt in 1904 making it the oldest black church in Jackson County.

The church closed its doors in January 2009 and now is the home of the Scottsboro Boys Museum. The Scottsboro Boys Case (1931) is considered to have been the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

Among many speakers, Dr. Desiree McGann, originally from Jamaica, spoke about how she was "outsider," not having been originally from Scottsboro, but was impressed with the case and thought it activated the conscious of a nation.

After speaking, Dr. Desiree McGann was presented a key to the city by Scottsboro President Matthew Hodges.