Nearly two dozen House Democrats have signed a letter encouraging President Joe Biden to exonerate former civil rights leader Marcus Garvey. In 1923, Garvey — one of the first internationally-known Black civil rights leaders — was convicted of mail fraud in 1923 and was given a five-year sentence.
According to ABC News, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY) led the panel of 21 lawmakers—mostly comprised of Congressional Black Caucus members—to request Biden exonerate Garvey after issuing a slew of pardons and commutations over the last several weeks.
“Exonerating Mr. Garvey would honor his work for the Black community, remove the shadow of an unjust conviction, and further this administration’s promise to advance racial justice,” a letter from the lawmakers reads. “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.”
Garvey, born in Jamaica in 1887, was a Pan-Africanist who believed African-Americans work together because of their supposed common interest. Even though President Calvin Coolidge pardoned Garvey two years into his sentence, he was still deported to his birth country of Jamaica.
For decades, Congress members have attempted to clear Garvey’s name. In 1987, Congressman John Conyers led hearings for the House Judiciary Committee on Garvey’s exoneration.
Congressman Charles Rangel shared resolutions and reviewed alleged injustices against the former civil rights leader in 2004. Garvey was the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) which dealt racial inequality.
“Exactly 101 years ago, Mr. Garvey was convicted of mail fraud in a case that was marred by prosecutorial and governmental misconduct,” the letter further explained.
“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.”
Per the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Garvey never returned to the U.S. again after he was deported. According to the Congress members, Garvey also created the Negro World Newspaper which reached 200,000 readers weekly.