by John Reid

On his final day in office, President Joe Biden pardoned several individuals, including a long-awaited posthumous pardon to Black nationalist and leader of the Pan-African movement Marcus Garvey. Garvey was influential to people such as Malcolm X and other civil rights leaders. After he was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s and deported to Jamaica, many individuals, including Dr. Julius Garvey, led the fight to have him pardoned, stating that his conviction was politically motivated.

The statement from the official White House website reads as follows: “Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887-1940) was a renowned civil rights and human rights leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment. 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.” Advocates and lawmakers praise his global advocacy and impact, and highlight the injustice underlying his criminal conviction.”

In addition to Garvey, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott was also pardoned for a drug offense in 1994 and served eight years in prison. After being elected to the Virginia legislature in 2019, then became the first Black speaker of the House. Scott issued the following statement on X:

“Today, I am deeply humbled to share that I have received a Presidential Pardon from President Joe Biden for a mistake I made in 1994-one that changed the course of my life and taught me the true power of redemption.”

Others who received pardons were:

• Darryl Chambers (Wilmington, Delaware) – a gun violence prevention advocate who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense and sentenced to 17-years imprisonment in 1998. He continues to work in the Wilmington area, working on violence prevention and youth empowerment programs.
• Ravidath “Ravi” Ragbir (Brooklyn, New York) – Ragbir was known for his advocacy in the immigrant and faith communities, convicted of a non-violent offense in 2001.
• Kemba Smith Pradia (Ashburn, Virginia) – She was sentenced in 1994 of a non-violent drug offense. Her story led to the “Kemba” movie released on BET+ in 2024.

Also, the President commuted the sentences of two other individuals so their sentence will end on February 18, 2025:

• Robin Peoples, currently serving an 111-year sentence for crimes committed in the late 1990s. During his time in custody, several civil rights leaders, government officials and friends have spoken about his resiliency and deserves a second chance.
• Michelle West, whose story was discussed in the PW Perspective back in April 2024. Since 1993, Michelle has been incarcerated for merely being associated with a drug kingpin, who was responsible for a drug-related murder which she had no involvement with.