Marcus Garvey, Kemba Smith Pradia, Among Final Pardons By President Biden

Garvey and Smith Pradia were among the final people granted pardons by President Biden.

Marcus Garvey and Kemba Smith Pradia were among the final names listed in President Biden’s last pardons before he left office.

Garvey’s family and supporters led the quest to get him a posthumous pardon for a mail fraud charge. The charge targeted the political activist to undermine his efforts in uplifting the Black diaspora.

Current congress members and educators had urged Biden to pardon him before his term ended. Howard University professors and students helped Garvey’s son Julius secure letters from Congressional leaders. With support primarily from the Black Caucus, Jamaican-American Congresswoman Yvette Clarke also led the initiative.

Garvey received the pardon for his already-commuted sentence. Now, this move remedies the stain on his legacy and grants his family peace on the issue.

“This pardon acknowledges the wrongful nature of his trial and conviction, affirms Garvey’s innocence, and uplifts Garvey’s unique contribution to the international cause of human rights, justice, and civil rights for all people worldwide,” Hansford said on the pardon to Howard’s online news publication, The Dig.

As for Smith Pradia, the prison reform activist received a full pardon from President Biden, therefore expunging her criminal record. The former Legal Defense Fund Client had served 7 of her 24.5 years sentenced to prison.

The domestic abuse victim had been forced to participate in her partner’s drug ring. However, she secured her release in 2000 after President Clinton commuted her sentence. Smith Pradia has since become a staunch advocate for criminal justice, following her widely known case.

“We are also elated by the tremendous step President Biden has taken to help correct the historic injustice of ‘girlfriend crimes’ by pardoning Kemba Smith Pradia and commuting Michelle Smith’s life sentence along with granting clemency to other individuals,” stated the LDF on the news. “‘Girlfriend crimes’, which ensnare women in the criminal legal system as a result of their romantic associations, have subjected Black women to some of the criminal legal system’s harshest penalties, often for little more than being in troubled relationships with coercive partners.”

Smith Pradia also deems her pardon as a win against the long-lasting effects of the War on Drugs. With her pardon, she can continue advocating for the full rights of released felons.

She is joined by fellow victim of “girlfriend crimes” Michelle West. Several others can now begin their lives again with these final pardons by President Biden.