Biden Pardons Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, Black Nationalist: NPR

Virginia House of Delegates Speech, Del. Rep. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, waves to family in the gallery during the opening of the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly at the Capitol on Jan. 10, 2024, in Richmond, Va.

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On his last full day in office, President Biden pardoned Virginia House Speaker Don Scott — who was convicted of a non-violent drug offense in 1994 — and posthumously pardoned black nationalist Marcus Garvey — who was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s and inspired civil rights leaders like Malcolm X

Three others also received pardons, including advocates for immigrant rights, gun violence prevention and criminal justice reform.

“As president, I have used my clemency power to make this promise a reality by issuing more individual pardons and commutations than any other president in American history,” Biden said in a statement. “These pardon recipients have each made significant contributions to the betterment of their communities.”

Scott, the first speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, served seven years in prison following his federal drug conviction. Since his release, Scott became a lawyer, was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, and became the first black speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates in 2024.

On Sunday, Scott thanked Biden for the pardon and his “commitment to a second chance.”

“I will never forget the pain my family felt when I was sentenced, or the sound of my mother’s anguish in that courtroom,” Scott said in a statement. “But I also won’t forget the joy of redemption and renewal—the sound of her tears as I was sworn in as speaker.”

The posthumous pardon of Marcus Garvey comes after a group of 21 Democratic members of the US Congress signed a letter urges Biden to pardon Garvey.

Garvey created the Black Star Line, the first Black-owned shipping and travel line, and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

Martin Luther King Jr. — which the country celebrates on Monday — described Garvey as “the first man of color in American history to lead and develop a mass movement.”

In addition to Scott and Garvey, Biden pardoned immigrant right-wing activist Ravi Ragbir, prison reform activist Kemba Smith Pradia and gun violence prevention attorney Darryl Chambers. All were convicted of non-violent offences.

Biden also commuted the convictions of Robin Peoples and Michelle West. Both will complete their sentences on February 18, 2025. People were sentenced to 111 years in prison for robbing banks in Indiana and had already served more than two decades in prison. West faced a life sentence for being part of a drug conspiracy.

It remains unclear whether Biden will issue preemptive pardons to those President Donald Trump has threatened to prosecute, including those who served on the House committee on Jan. 6.