7 MEN EXECUTED FOR RAPE IN 1951 PARDONED

Virginia Governor pardons 'Martinsville Seven' Black men executed for rape 70 years ago

Gov. Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons Tuesday for a group of Black men executed 70 years ago for allegedly raping a white woman in Martinsville, Virginia.

This photo from the archives of the Martinsville Bulletin newspaper shows the so-called 'Martinsville Seven,' a group of young Black men tried and executed in 1951 for the rape of white woman two years earlier. They are, from left, Booker T. Millner,Frank Hairston Jr., Howard Lee Hairston, Joe Henry Hampton, John Claibon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson and James Luther Hairston.

The pardons do not address the guilt of the group known as the "Martinsville Seven." Instead, Northam said he issued the pardons "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."

“This is about righting wrongs,” Northam said in a statement released by his office along with a copy of the pardon. “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."

He added: "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.”

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