Dear Editor,

US President Joe Biden did the right and honourable thing when he used his clemency power to pardon, posthumously, National Hero Marcus Garvey.

President Biden’s historic pardon is a most significant step in a process which must continue until the national hero is exonerated — his name must be cleared completely.

The pardon, which was announced on Sunday, January 19, was the outcome of many years of advocacy by successive Jamaican governments; the Garvey family, led by his son Julius; the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League; members of the Jamaican Diaspora; and many people in America and across the world who have been fighting against this wrongful conviction.

Garvey was convicted of mail fraud in the United States in 1923, but that trial and conviction were meant to tarnish his image and diminish his global movement.

He was a formidable advocate for the rights of black people and leader of the largest black movement in history. It was no surprise when Garvey caught the attention of federal agencies in the racially charged United States of America. And it was no surprise when he was charged with mail fraud, imprisoned, tried, and deported.

I welcome President Biden’s decision, which represents a major victory in the struggle to clear Garvey’s name. We must welcome the pardon wholeheartedly; however, we maintain that Garvey’s actions were not criminal actions but acts of liberation, with moral justification.

Therefore, what we need is an expungement of Garvey’s record in America, similar to that which was done by the Jamaican Parliament.

We have been on this journey for a very long time and we must continue the advocacy for the removal of this criminal record against our hero. A resolution was brought to the US House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice as far back as 1987 to clear Garvey, but did not succeed.

In 2018, the Jamaican Houses of Parliament passed The National Heroes and Other Freedom Fighters (Absolution from Criminal Liability in Respect of Specified Acts) Act, which cleared the records of national heroes, including Garvey. The law removed his conviction for sedition.

The decision of President Biden removes a stain against one of the greatest Jamaicans, a Jamaican national hero and a hero for humanity. The Government of Jamaica will continue to work with the Garvey family and all the stakeholders to push for his exoneration. But today we celebrate.

Olivia Grange

Minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport