President Joe Biden has pardoned five individuals, including the late civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, and commuted the sentences of two others in one of his final acts in office.
“Today, I am exercising my clemency power to pardon 5 individuals and commute the sentences of 2 individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption,” Biden said in a statement. “These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities.”
Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey, who died in 1940. The renowned civil rights and human rights leader was convicted of mail fraud in 1923. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, with President Calvin Coolidge commuting his sentence in 1927.
The White House notes, “Garvey created the Black Star Line, the first Black-owned shipping line and method of international travel, and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which celebrated African history and culture.”
Darryl Chambers, a gun violence prevention advocate from Wilmington, Delaware, was also among those pardoned by Biden. Chambers was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1998 and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Since his release, Chambers has dedicated himself to violence prevention efforts, including authoring his book Murder Town, USA.
The White House states, “Advocates, lawmakers, and his mentees praise him for his commitment to the Wilmington community, efforts to reduce violence, and helping youth transform their lives.”
The others Joe Biden pardoned were Ravi Ragbir, an immigrant rights advocate from New York, Don Leonard Scott, Jr., the first Black Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and Kemba Smith Pradia, a criminal justice advocate previously pardoned by President Clinton.
Related
