
In one of his final acts as the leader of the country, President Joe Biden issued a posthumous pardon to Black nationalist Marcus Garvey on Sunday (Jan. 19). The early civil rights figure led a movement against racial inferiority in the U.S. in the late 1910s, inspiring Black citizens to see past racism and colonialism.
Garvey, a Jamaica native, was sentenced to five years behind bars in connection to a 1923 mail fraud conviction. The Universal Negro Improvement Association founder served four years when his prison stint was commuted by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927. He was then deported back to his home country, where he died in 1940 at the age of 52. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. revered the human rights advocate as “the first man of color in the history of the United States to lead and develop a mass movement.”
In a White House press release, Biden stated, “America is a country built on the promise of second chances. As President, I have used my clemency power to make that promise a reality by issuing more individual pardons and commutations than any other President in U.S. history.”
The sitting president further declared, “Today, I am exercising my clemency power to pardon five individuals and commute the sentences of two individuals who have demonstrated remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption. These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities.”
The other recipients are immigration advocate Ravidath “Ravi” Ragbir, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Leonard Scott, Jr. and criminal justice advocate Kemba Smith Pradia. The outgoing commander in chief also commuted life sentences for Robin Peoples and Michelle West to conclude on Feb. 18.
In December, Biden granted clemency to nearly 2,500 citizens convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, commuted 37 death row inmates to life terms, as well as issued pardons for his son, Hunter Biden, and former Black Mafia Family kingpin Terry “Southwest” Flenory.
Monday (Jan. 20) is the transition of power to President-elect Donald Trump as he is sworn in during a second inauguration. During his first term in office, the GOP-supported politician granted 143 pardons, 237 clemencies and 94 commutations, according to the Pew Research Center.