President Biden on Sunday pardoned five activists and public officials, including a posthumous pardon for civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, who mobilized the black nationalist movement and was convicted of mail fraud in 1923. Gave.
Biden also commuted the sentences of two others serving sentences for crimes committed in the 1990s that would keep them in prison for the rest of their lives. Biden said the petition received overwhelming support from civil rights activists and he is expected to be released next month.
Biden, who has issued more individual pardons and commutations than any other president, said those pardoned have “demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption” and that “each has made significant contributions to the betterment of their communities.” said.
Mr. Garvey’s posthumous pardon was one of the most high-profile in this round. Civil rights leaders and lawmakers have long argued that his criminal conviction was unjust and that he was targeted as a civil rights leader.
In a statement, the White House said he would honor many of his accomplishments, including the creation of the Black Star Line, the first black-owned shipping company and means of international travel, and the creation of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which celebrates African history and culture. emphasized the contribution of
The White House also cited Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday is on Monday, calling Garvey, who died in 1940, “the first person of color in U.S. history to lead and advance the nation’s society.” ” mass movement. ”
Among those eligible for pardons that will wipe out their conviction records is Darryl Chambers, a gun violence prevention activist who was sentenced to 17 years in prison in 1998 for a nonviolent drug offense. Ravi Raghubir is a prominent immigrant advocate who was convicted of a non-violent crime in 2001. Attorney Don Scott was elected to the Virginia House of Representatives in 2019 after completing a sentence for a non-violent drug offense, and last year became the first Black speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.
