By Tomas Kassahun
In one of his final moves as President, Joe Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey, was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s. Garveyâs supporters have long argued that the conviction effort to silence the social justice champion as he fought for racial equality for Black Americans, the Associated Press reported. Garvey, who was deported to his home country Jamaica after being convicted, died in 1940.
In a statement on Sunday, the Howard University School praised Garvey as âthe first national hero of Jamaica and leader of the U.S. Back to Africa political movement of the 1920s.â
âGarvey founded the United Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA) to promote unity and pride amongst all Black people across the globe,â the school stated.
The Harvard School Of Law also highlighted the effort of Howard University professor Justin Hansford, who worked with Garveyâs son, Julius Garvey, Ph.D., for the past 15 years to ensure the pardon.
According to the school, Garvey âwas convicted on one count mail fraud in 1923 as president of the shipping and passenger company the Black Star Line, for using the mail to defraud someone into buying stock in the company.â
âHe received the maximum punishment under the law, five years imprisonment and a $1,000 fine,â the Howard University School stated.
âWe donât turn on each other. We lean into each other. Thatâs the sacred covenant of our nation. We pledge an allegiance, not just to an idea, but to each other,â the out-going President said.
As he leaves office, Biden has given more pardons and commutations than any other president. On Friday, Biden said heâs commuting the sentences of about 2,500 people who are convicted of nonviolent drug offenses. The President also pardoned his son Hunter after he was prosecuted for gun and tax charges.