On his last full day in office on Sunday, President Biden issued five pardons, including one 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, Fox News reported.
The Biden White House described Garvey, who was an influence on 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 long urged President Biden to pardon Marcus Garvey, arguing that his conviction was politically motivated and intended to silence a popular advocate of racial pride, Fox noted.
In addition to Garvey, Biden pardoned immigrant rights activist Ragbir, who was sentenced to two years in prison for a nonviolent offense in 2001, and criminal justice reform advocate Smith Pradia, who was convicted of a drug offense in 1994 and sentenced to 24 years in prison before President Bill Clinton commuted her sentence in 2000.
Biden also announced plans to commute the sentences of two additional individuals—Michelle West and Robin Peoples—so that their sentences will expire on February 18, 2025. West was convicted in the 1990s on charges including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, drug-related homicide, and aiding and abetting in drug-related homicide, according to court records.
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.”
Court records indicate that Peoples was convicted of bank robbery and related offenses.
Peoples “is currently serving a 111-year sentence for crimes he committed in the late 1990s,” the White House added 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.”
Biden is also using his last full day in office to pardon individuals who have been criticized by President-elect Donald Trump.
Biden issued preemptive pardons for former NIAID Director Anthony Fauci, House Jan. 6 committee members, and others on Monday, granting them broad immunity just hours before Trump’s White House return.
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