President Biden is being asked to pardon the late Marcus Garvey for his 1923 conviction.
According to reports, Members of Congress sent a letter to Biden asking him to continue his “efforts to advance racial justice” while he’s still in office. “Exonerating Marcus Garvey would honor his work for the Black community, remove the shadow of an unjust conviction, and further your administration’s promise to advance racial justice,” the letter reads which is led by U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y.
The letter also says, “At a time when Black history faces the existential threat of erasure by radical state legislatures, a presidential pardon for Mr. Garvey would correct the historical record and restore the legacy of an American hero.”
In 1923, Marcus Garvey was convicted of mail fraud related to his shipping business, the Black Star Line. The business was founded along with his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and it was intended to ship goods but would end up shipping African Americans throughout the Black diaspora.
Justin Hansford’s academic journal on Garvey’s conviction, states that he received an unfair conviction. This included a biased judge and the key witness lied during his testimony. Although President Calvin Coolidge commuted the Pan-African Activist’s sentence, the letter that was given to Biden asked that he clear Garvey’s name.
“The evidence paints an abundantly clear narrative that the charges against Mr. Garvey were not only fabricated but also targeted to criminalize, discredit, and silence him as a civil rights leader.” The Congressional members also noted that “efforts to clear Garvey’s name have persisted for decades.”
The letter added, “In 1987, under Congressman John Conyers’ leadership, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings on Mr. Garvey’s exoneration. In 2004, Congressman Charles Rangel introduced a series of resolutions calling attention to the injustice, followed by Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke’s recent efforts to continue these strides.”
This request comes as President Biden recently commuted the sentences of three inmates on death row and pardoned nearly 1,5000 people convicted of non-violent crimes.