[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 57 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 57

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should grant a 
    pardon to Marcus Mosiah Garvey to clear his name and affirm his 
innocence of crimes for which he was unjustly prosecuted and convicted.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2005

  Mr. Rangel submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should grant a 
    pardon to Marcus Mosiah Garvey to clear his name and affirm his 
innocence of crimes for which he was unjustly prosecuted and convicted.

Whereas Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, on August 17, 
        1887, and emigrated to the United States;
Whereas Marcus Garvey was the founder and leader of the Universal Negro 
        Improvement Association, the largest Black organization in history, 
        which was dedicated to the economic, social, and political empowerment 
        of African Americans and the fostering of unity between all people of 
        African descent;
Whereas Marcus Garvey's movement for humans rights, economic self-sufficiency, 
        and cultural solidarity for peoples of African descent attracted 
        millions of followers in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin 
        America, Africa, and Europe;
Whereas Marcus Garvey's philosophy of uniting the people of the African Diaspora 
        around a recognition of their common heritage and his teachings 
        regarding pride, self help, and identification with Africa inspired 
        Black leaders throughout the world, including W.E.B. DuBois, Kwame 
        Nkrumah, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King;
Whereas pervasive discrimination and subjugation of African Americans in the 
        United States created a climate of intolerance towards Black social 
        activists, such as Marcus Garvey, and a determination by the United 
        States Government to undermine and destroy the Universal Negro 
        Improvement Association;
Whereas Marcus Garvey became the target of surveillance and harassment by 
        Federal law enforcement agencies;
Whereas Marcus Garvey was arrested numerous times, with charges being dropped on 
        each occasion, thus indicating that the arrests were solely for the 
        purpose of harassing Marcus Garvey and disrupting the Universal Negro 
        Improvement Association;
Whereas, after a zealous effort by Government authorities, which included 
        infiltration of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, Marcus 
        Garvey was prosecuted and convicted of a single count of mail fraud by 
        Federal authorities in 1923 and sent to prison;
Whereas Marcus Garvey, in connection with the severe criticism of his 
        politically motivated conviction, submitted his first official 
        application for Executive clemency in 1925;
Whereas, in 1926, nine members of the jury that convicted Marcus Garvey signed 
        an affidavit recommending the commutation of his sentence;
Whereas in response to the public outcry regarding the suspect nature of 
        Garvey's conviction, and on the action of the United States Pardon 
        Attorney's Office, President Calvin Coolidge commuted Garvey's sentence 
        in 1927, establishing the precedent for Executive clemency in this case;
Whereas Marcus Garvey, as a consequence of his conviction, was deported from the 
        United States in 1927, never to return again;
Whereas Marcus Garvey maintained his innocence and his desire to be exonerated 
        throughout the remainder of his life;
Whereas it is now widely accepted that the case against Marcus Garvey was 
        politically motivated, the charges unsubstantiated, and his conviction 
        unjust;
Whereas millions of petitioners have appealed for his exoneration;
Whereas Marcus Garvey's body was returned to Jamaica in 1964, where he was 
        officially declared the country's first national hero;
Whereas Marcus Garvey is recognized as a towering figure in African, African 
        American, and world history; and
Whereas Marcus Garvey's life and contributions to the United States should be 
        recognized and appropriate steps taken to restore his name and 
        reputation in this country: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) Marcus Garvey was innocent of the charges brought 
        against him by the United States Government;
            (2) Marcus Garvey is and should be recognized 
        internationally as a leader and thinker in the struggle for 
        human rights and dignity; and
            (3) the President should endeavor to restore the honor and 
        good name of Marcus Garvey through the granting of a full 
        posthumous pardon that proclaims his conviction to have been 
        unjust and unwarranted and affirms his innocence on the charges 
        brought against him.
                                 <all>