Monday, January 20, 2025 -On his last day in office as the US president, Joe Biden pardoned five people including the late civil rights leader, Marcus Garvey.
He also commuted the sentences of two, according to a statement released
by the White House.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who died in 1940, was a civil rights leader who
influenced pioneer leaders such as Malcolm X and South African President Nelson
Mandela.
In 1923, he was convicted of mail fraud and was sentenced to five years
of imprisonment. His sentence was lessened by President Calvin Coolidge in
1927.
Garvey is often credited as the first man who organised a mass movement
among African Americans by Human rights organizations.
His supporters claimed his case was aimed at discrediting the Black
Revolution amid a period of racial unrest. He created the Black Star Line
shipping company and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which
honours African history and culture, according to the White House.
Garvey was described as “the first man of colour in the history of the
United States to lead and develop a mass movement” by Martin Luther King Jr.
His global advocacy and impact are praised by advocates and lawmakers, also
highlighting the injustice surrounding his criminal conviction.
According to the White House Statement, other people pardoned by
President Biden on his final day in office include gun violence prevention
advocate Darryl Chambers, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offence and
immigration advocate Ravidath “Ravi” Ragbir, who was convicted of a non-violent
offence in 2001.
Biden also pardoned Don Scott, who was previously convicted of a
non-violent drug offence in 1994 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, and
criminal justice advocate Kemba Smith Pradia, who was previously convicted of a
non-violent drug offence in 1994 and sentenced to 24 years imprisonment.
Biden also commuted the sentences of two individuals, Robin Peoples and Michelle West, who were sentenced in the 1990s and demonstrated remarkable rehabilitation.
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