By: Maria-Paula
President Joe Biden took a historic step on his final full day in office as president by granting clemency to seven individuals, embodying a spirit of redemption and second chances for individuals he said made significant efforts in improving the community.
The handful of pardons were individuals mostly convicted for non violent, drug related offenses having demonstrated “remorse, rehabilitation, and redemption” in decades of incarceration.
They included Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, the late Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, Leonard Peltier, a Richmond born prison reform activist among others.
“ Today, I am deeply humbled to say that I have received a Presidential Pardon for a mistake I made in 1994, one that changed the course of my life and taught me that true power is redemption,” Said Scott.
In a statement as he made a record of commuting the sentences of nearly 2500 individuals, Biden echoed that America is a country built on the promises of second chances and therefore used his clemency powers to enact the reality for the people and their families.
The VLBC was proud to stand alongside civil rights and women’s rights advocates, lawmakers, and formerly incarcerated individuals in supporting several of these clemency cases.
“We thank President Biden for his bold actions in providing relief through pardons and commutations, which have reunited families, reduced sentences tied to outdated policies, and offered new opportunities to those most affected by the mass incarceration crisis in our nation.
This administration leaves behind a profound legacy, one that includes commuting the majority of federal death sentences and pardoning thousands convicted of simple marijuana possession and other nonviolent drug offenses,” read a statement from VLBC.
The Black Caucus also reiterated that cases represent the best of the Country’s pardon system and serve as a powerful reminder of its capacity to foster a more just and equitable society.
In its commitment to advancing values of equity, restoration, and a more humane criminal justice system, VLBC pledges to remain steadfast moving forward.
With a mission to raise the consciousness of other groups to the contributions made by African Americans to the Commonwealth and the Nation at large, VLBC’s main focus is to improve the economic, educational, political, and social conditions of African Americans and underrepresented groups in Virginia.
