Reuters
Sun, January 19, 2025
President Joe Biden pardoned five people on Sunday, including the late civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, and commuted the sentences of two, the White House said in a statement.
Garvey, who died in 1940, was a civil rights leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment, a sentence that was commuted by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.
Human rights organizations credit Garvey as the first man to organize a mass movement among African-Americans. The White House said he created Black Star Line shipping company and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which celebrated African history and culture.
The other people pardoned include Darryl Chambers, a gun violence prevention advocate who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense, immigration advocate Ravidath “Ravi” Ragbir, who was convicted of a non-violent offense in 2001, the White House said in a statement.
Biden also pardoned Don Leonard Scott, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Scott was elected to the Virginia state legislature in 2019 and became its first Black speaker last year, the White House said.
Kemba Smith Pradia, a criminal justice advocate who was previously convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994, also was pardoned.
Biden commuted the sentences of two others who were sentenced in the 1990s and whom he credited with remarkable rehabilitation: Robin Peoples and Michelle West.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott Malone)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY
Biden pardons 5, including late civil rights activist and Virginia Speaker
Brett Samuels
Sun, January 19, 2025
President Biden on Sunday announced pardons for five individuals, including multiple civil rights advocates, and commuted the sentences of two others.
“America is a country built on the promise of second chances,” Biden said in a statement.
“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.”
“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,” he added. “These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities.”
Biden, set to leave office Monday, announced a posthumous pardon for the late Marcus Garvey, a civil rights leader convicted of mail fraud in 1923. Garvey created the first Black-owned shipping line and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Supporters of a pardon for Garvey had argued his conviction was politically motivated.
Biden also pardoned Don Scott (D), the Speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates, who was convicted in 1994 of a nonviolent drug offense and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Scott is a Navy veteran who worked as an attorney after his release.
“My journey — from being arrested as a law student to standing here today as the first Black Speaker of the House of Delegates in Virginia’s 405-year history — is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the transformative power of second chances,” Scott said in a statement.
Others to receive a pardon on Sunday included Darryl Chambers, a gun violence prevention advocate who was sentenced to 17 years in prison for a nonviolent drug offense in 1998. Chambers is a native of Wilmington, Del., where Biden also resides.
The president also pardoned Ravi Ragbir, an advocate for immigrant rights in New York and New Jersey who was convicted of a nonviolent drug offense in 2001. He also pardoned Kemba Smith Pradia, who was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 1994 for a nonviolent drug offense. Pradia’s sentence was commuted by then-President Clinton in 2000, and she has since worked as a criminal justice and racial equity advocate.
Biden also commuted the sentences of two individuals so that their sentences would end on Feb. 18, the White House said.
The first, Robin Peoples, is serving a 111-year sentence for crimes he committed in the late 1990s. Peoples would likely face a lower sentence today under current law, and the White House said his clemency petition has received overwhelming support.
Biden also commuted the sentence of Michelle West, who was sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed between 1987 and 1993. The White House said West’s case has received significant support from civil rights activists, fellow inmates and lawmakers.
The president has announced thousands of clemency actions in his final weeks in the White House, most of them focused on nonviolent offenders. He also commuted the sentences of many death row inmates to life in prison and issued a full pardon for his son, Hunter Biden.
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Biden pardons late Black activist Marcus Garvey, 4 others
Danielle Wallace
FOX NEWS
Sun, January 19, 2025
Sun, January 19, 2025
Biden pardons late Black activist Marcus Garvey, 4 others
President Biden issued five more pardons on Sunday on his last full day in office, including for political activist and Black nationalist Marcus Garvey.
"America is a country built on the promise of second chances," Biden said in a statement. "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. 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. These clemency recipients have each made significant contributions to improving their communities."
In addition to Garvey, the clemency recipients are Darryl Chambers, Ravidath "Ravi" Ragbir, Don Leonard Scott, Jr., and Kemba Smith Pradia. Garvey was granted the pardon posthumously.
Marcus Garvey, "Africa's Provisional President," is seen during the renaming of the ship from the "General G.W. Goethals" to the S.S Booker T. Washington, Jan. 25, 1925.
The Biden White House described Garvey, who influenced Malcolm X, as "a renowned civil rights and human rights leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment."
Former President Calvin Coolidge commuted his sentence in 1927. "Notably, Mr. 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. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described Mr. Garvey as ‘the first man of color in the history of the United States to lead and develop a mass movement’," the White House said. "Advocates and lawmakers praise his global advocacy and impact, and highlight the injustice underlying his criminal conviction."
Congressional leaders had pushed for Biden to pardon Garvey. Supporters long argued that Garvey's conviction was politically motivated and an effort to silence the increasingly popular leader who spoke of racial pride.
Biden also pardoned Ragbir, an immigrant rights activist, and Smith Pradia, an advocate for criminal justice reform. Ragbir was convicted of a nonviolent offense in 2001 and was sentenced to two years in prison. Smith Pradia is an advocate convicted of a drug offense in 1994 when she was sentenced to 24 years behind bars. President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.
Biden also announced he is commuting the sentences of 2 additional individuals – Michelle West and Robin Peoples – so that their sentences expire on Feb.18, 2025.
West was convicted in the '90s on charges that included conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, drug-related homicide and aiding and abetting in drug-related homicide, court records show.
The White House said West "is currently serving a life sentence for crimes she committed between 1987 and 1993."
"During her three decades of incarceration, Ms. West has demonstrated extraordinary rehabilitation and personal transformation," the Biden White House argued. "Ms. West’s clemency petition has received overwhelming support from the civil rights community, women’s rights advocates, former fellow inmates, and lawmakers. Supporters describe Ms. West as a role model who has built a 31-year record of rehabilitation and redemption."
Meanwhile, court records show Peoples was convicted of bank robbery and other associated offenses.
Peoples "is currently serving a 111-year sentence for crimes he committed in the late 1990s," the White House said in their announcement. "Mr. Peoples would likely face a significantly lower sentence under current law and policy. While in custody, he has demonstrated remarkable rehabilitation and courage. Mr. Peoples’s clemency petition has received overwhelming support from the civil rights community, government officials, friends, and family members. Mr. Peoples’s supporters describe him as a model inmate, an inspiring mentor, and someone deserving of a second chance."
It's still not clear whether Biden will use his last full day in office to give pardons to people who have been criticized by President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden had floated the idea of issuing preemptive pardons for possible offenses by Trump’s critics that could be investigated or prosecuted by the incoming administration. Doing so would stretch the powers of the presidency in untested ways.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Joe Biden pardons five people, including late civil rights leader Marcus Garvey
President Joe Biden pardoned five people on Sunday, including the late civil rights leader Marcus Garvey, and commuted the sentences of two, the White House said in a statement.
Garvey, who died in 1940, was a civil rights leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923 and sentenced to five years' imprisonment, a sentence that was commuted by President Calvin Coolidge in 1927.
Human rights organizations credit Garvey as the first man to organize a mass movement among African-Americans. The White House said he created Black Star Line shipping company and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which celebrated African history and culture.
The other people pardoned include Darryl Chambers, a gun violence prevention advocate who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense, immigration advocate Ravidath “Ravi” Ragbir, who was convicted of a non-violent offense in 2001, the White House said in a statement.
Biden also pardoned Don Leonard Scott, who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Scott was elected to the Virginia state legislature in 2019 and became its first Black speaker last year, the White House said.
Kemba Smith Pradia, a criminal justice advocate who was previously convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994, also was pardoned.
Biden commuted the sentences of two others who were sentenced in the 1990s and whom he credited with remarkable rehabilitation: Robin Peoples and Michelle West.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Scott Malone)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden pardons five people including civil rights leader Marcus Garvey
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