Virginia Governor Ralph Northam posthumously pardoned the Martinsville Seven, a group of young Black men executed in 1951 for the alleged rape of a white woman.
Northam’s office announced the pardons on Tuesday, more than 70 years after the executions.
“While these pardons do not address the guilt of the seven, they serve as recognition from the Commonwealth that these men were tried without adequate due process and received a racially biased death sentence not similarly applied to white defendants,” the office stated in a news release.
The executed men– Frank Hairston Jr., Booker T. Millner, Francis DeSales Grayson, Howard Lee Hairston, James Luther Hairston, Joe Henry Hampton, and John Clabon Taylor, were all Black and between the ages of 18 and 37 years old.
Ruby Stroud Floyd, the alleged victim, claimed she was assaulted by 13 Black men in 1949 while she was visiting a predominately Black neighborhood in Martinsville, per NPR. She identified Grayson and Hampton as two of her rapists but had trouble recognizing the others.
After being interrogated by the police, the men confessed to the crime. According to CNN, their family members believe they were questioned under pressure and forced to sign documents they could not read without a lawyer present.
All-white juries convicted the Martinsville Seven of rape, which was a capital offense at the time. The men died in the electric chair in February 1951. There is a noted disparity in how Virginia used the death penalty before the commonwealth abolished the practice earlier this year.
According to the governor’s office, every prisoner convicted of rape and executed from 1908 to 1951 was Black. The Supreme Court ruled using capital punishment for rape was a cruel and unusual punishment in 1977.
Northam has issued 604 pardons since he took office in 2018, which is more pardons than his nine predecessors combined. He has also acted on over 2000 pardon petitions, reported his office.
“This is about righting wrongs,” Northam said. “We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it right—no matter who you are or what you look like. I’m grateful to the advocates and families of the Martinsville Seven for their dedication and perseverance. While we can’t change the past, I hope today’s action brings them some small measure of peace.”
“Pardons should not have to be a part of the process to ensure a fair and equitable justice system, but unfortunately, that’s been the case for far too long, and I’m happy we have a Governor that believes in using his clemency powers to right the wrongs and provide second chances,” said Secretary of the Commonwealth Kelly Thomasson.
