IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 24 

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 

JANUARY 10, 2007 

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 decent; 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
2 

•HCON 24 IH 

Whereas Marcus Garvey’s movement for humans rights, economic self-sufficiency, and cultural solidarity for peoples 

of African decent 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; 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
3 

•HCON 24 IH 

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 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
4 

•HCON 24 IH 

taken to restore his name and reputation in this country: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that— 

3 (1) Marcus Garvey was innocent of the charges 

4 brought against him by the United States Govern5 ment; 

6 (2) Marcus Garvey is and should be recognized 

7 internationally as a leader and thinker in the strug8 gle for human rights and dignity; and 

9 (3) the President should endeavor to restore the 

10 honor and good name of Marcus Garvey through the 

11 granting of a full posthumous pardon that proclaims 

12 his conviction to have been unjust and unwarranted 

13 and affirms his innocence on the charges brought 

14 against him. 

Æ 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with BILLS