He further stated, "We all deserve a criminal justice system that is fair, equal, and gets it rightno matter who you are or what you look like. "Their punishment did not fit the crime. [2] The NAACP did not want the CRC to participate in the litigation directly. [1] On August 31, 2021, the Governor of Virginia pardoned the convictions of all seven men, 70 years after their deaths. In their appeals, Martin and the NAACP discussed the unfairness of the venue, the pressure on later juries to arrive at the same sentence as the earlier ones, and the historical racial disparities in application of death penalty sentences in the state. A grand jury (which included both black and white members) indicted all the men. Based on their confessions, the police arrested: The judge appointed seven attorneys for the seven defendants. The campaign included picket lines, a demonstration by hundreds rallying in Richmond to try to persuade Gov. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). In his study on the case, Rise concluded that, "At a time when African-Americans were beginning to assert their civil rights vigorously, the executions provided a stark reminder of the harsh treatment reserved for blacks who violated Southern racial codes.". At age 37, World War II veteran Francis DeSales Grayson was the oldest of the defendants. Later, three other men, Francis DeSales Grayson, John Clabon Taylor and James Luther Hairston joined the other four in the assault, according to the confessions. A prosecutor asked him: "Charlie, do you know what happens to little boys who tell lies when they die?". ). Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. After a long legal battle led by the NAACP and a grassroots campaign led by the Civil Rights Congress, the seven were executed in 1951 on February 2nd and February 5th. The Civil Rights Congress and the Virginia Committee to Save the Martinsville Seven publish a flyer November 8, 1950 explaining why the Virginia case of seven black men sentenced to death was important for the fight against white supremacy. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. As the final execution dates of Feb. 2 and Feb. 5, 1951, approached the governor's office was flooded with thousands of telegrams, including one from Moscow, asking that the men not be executed. She passed four men at the railroad tracks and continued into the neighborhood, where she was later assaulted by some of those four and other men. The photographer is unknown. They argued for lesser sentences, but Battle resisted their pleas. Black men executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman granted posthumous pardons | CBC News Loaded. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Although the defense attorneys pointed out mitigating circumstances, the juries quickly convicted each defendant and sentenced them to execution in the electric chair. State And Regional Martinsville Film To Be Produced By Charlottesville Activist And Uvas Center For Politics. The Martinsville 7, seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia are shown on a flyer published by the Civil Rights Congress in 1950. In a news release, Northam said the pardons were not about whether the men were guilty, but it was "recognition from the Commonwealth" that the men did not receive adequate due process. Please if you have any form of concern, suggestions, or query as regards this publication, kindly contact us. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). It was the largest mass execution for rape that had been reported in the United States. On the evening of January 8, 1949, Ruby Stroud Floyd accused 13 black men of raping her while she passed through a poor African American neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia . All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. [14], After exhausting the appeals process, with the US Supreme Court twice declining to hear the case, the NAACP and CRC began to appeal to executive offices. They noted the assaults of Floyd had no evidence of homicidal intent. [2], The trials were held back to back, each with a separate jury of twelve white men. They would soon be handling the volatile case of seven black men charged with raping a white woman, and Whittle admonished them that the accused "will be tried as though both parties were members of the same race. The Martinsville 7 were seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. [11], The case of the Martinsville Seven was taken up by outside groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Civil Rights Congress (CRC). She also had abrasions on her elbows, forearms, knees, lower legs and thighs. Footage too graphic to publish shows the man . Other demonstrations were held in Washington, D.C. in an attempt to convince President Harry S. Truman to interveneagain to no avail. In 1977, in its ruling in Coker v. Georgia, the US Supreme Court ruled that "it is repugnant to an enlightened society for the state to kill a person for a crime that does not result in death," declining to extend the death penalty to a person guilty of raping an adult woman. The Civil Rights Congress pickets the White House February 1, 1951 demanding President Harry Truman stop the execution of the Martinsville 7 seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. The Martinsville Seven were a group of seven African-American men from Martinsville, Virginia, who were convicted and executed in 1951 for raping a white woman in 1949. View Source. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. This browser does not support getting your location. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. Here are some dire statistics detailing the horrible "culture" of African Americans: nationwide, blacks are committing crimes at 7 times the rate of whites. Prospective jurors in each trial included some blacks, but all 72 jurors selected to try the cases were white. THIS is the harrowing moment vengeful villagers burned to death the alleged ringleader of a violent gang they say had been terrorising them for months. Some questioned the accuracy of parts of the confessions, and at least one said he did not have intercourse with Floyd and that he did not see Floyd resist anyone. Within hours, they admitted to having "sex" with Floyd or admitted to watching their friends have intercourse with the thirty-two-year-old. Other prosecution witnesses included Grayson's wife, Josephine, who also testified for the defense in some of the cases; a sister of one of the defendants; and a black woman who assisted Floyd after the attack. The CRC focused on producing pamphlets and publicity for outside campaigns to raise awareness about the case, including internationally, and hoped to put pressure on government officials. I will not have it otherwise.". Four more suspects were arrested that night, based in part on the first two men's confessions. Man died Wednesday. Blacks makeup 13% of the population but commit the majority of violent crimes in this country. Floyd did not know where the woman lived, so she enlisted the help of 11-year-old Charlie Martin, son of a "colored" woman she knew, to guide her. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Execution of black teen in 1944 shouldn't have occurred, U.S. judge rules, Man freed from prison, over racial bias in jury selection, will not face 7th murder trial, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Martin A. Martin of the Richmond law firm Hill, Martin and Robinson, was the lead attorney for the appellate defense team for the NAACP in Virginia, as his firm had considerable experience with civil rights cases. Both African American newspapers, the Richmond Afro-American and Norfolk Journal and Guide concluded the national and international crusades by the CRC hurt the defendants' chances for clemency. The image is a Civil Rights Congress flyer for a rally in New York City in 1950. After being questioned by local police officers, the defendants initially confessed to committing or witnessing the crime. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. And the real victim Ruby Stroud Floyd didn't even get a mention from those coon descendants of her rapists ! As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. A small donation would help us keep this available to all. In this period of the second Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee had raised alarms about purported communist influence in government and society. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. Virginias court system repeatedly rejected the NAACPs arguments and the US Supreme Court rejected the case twice without review. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. "The Martinsville Seven were not given adequate due process 'simply for being black,' they were sentenced to death for a crime that a white person would not have been executed for 'simply for being black,' and they were killed, by the Commonwealth, 'simply for being black,'" the advocates wrote in their letter to Northam. On January 30, 1951, 400 protesters arrived in Richmond, appealing to Battle on the issue of racial disparity in sentencing. 1 ranking in country. Whittle.[7]. Each man was charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape both crimes punishable by death at the time. One of the pickets who identified himself as Richard O. Boyer of New York City, said most of the marchers were New Yorkers and the protest came from the New York Council of Arts, Sciences and Professions. He kissed us and they took him away," he told The Associated Press in an interview after the announcement. This is a carousel with slides. For the first time, records were kept at a central location. "It's such a raw wound," said Naomi Hodge-Muse, president of the Martinsville chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Newly elected Virginia Governor John S. Battle refused their request for clemency. Ruby Stroud Floyd Obituary: In the loving memory of Ruby Stroud Floyd, we are saddened to inform you that Ruby Stroud Floyd, a beloved and loyal friend, has passed away. "I don't want to bring that up again.". But Hodge-Muse, Millner and others also believe that not all the facts came out during the trials and that there are many unanswered questions. The Library of Virginia has the letter from the lawyer, Martin, asking for execution data. "But we don't really know what happened.". Northam has now granted a total of 604 pardons since taking office in 2018, more than the previous nine governors combined, his administration announced Tuesday. The low IQ low life disregard they are the biggest killers of themselves. And, he asserts, it is "the most dramatic example of how the American judicial system has simply refused to face the facts about race and capital punishment.". In Martinsville, the executions are no longer a common topic of conversation, but they remain on the minds of many African-Americans. "Their punishment did not fit the crime. Family members linked to this person will appear here. While Ruby Stroud Floyd was being treated in hospital after the alleged rape, police arrested six suspects, and two days later a seventh. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. You are using an out of date browser. "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. Please reset your password. He said, 'Well, read the book the Martinsville Seven. GREAT NEWS! "[6], In December 2020, the Martinsville 7 Project asked Virginia Governor Ralph Northam to pardon the Martinsville Seven posthumously and issue an apology. Failed to delete memorial. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. Try again later. Three worked in a sawmill, one was a plasterer's helper, one a stonecutter and one a foundry man. There was considerable community sentiment against the men. Try again later. The remaining three were electrocuted on February 5. http://revcom.us/a/098/martinsville7-en.html, http://www.blackpast.org/aah/martinsville-seven-1949-1951. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. based on information from your browser. "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. For example, although most African Americans in Virginia had been disenfranchised since the early 20th century and were thus disqualified from serving on juries, the grand jury had included black members. And will be dearly missed by family, friends, and everyone. Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, USA. Tony L. Millner, vice president of the Martinsville NAACP chapter, said he was a child when it happened. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. [8] Since Virginia started using an electric chair in 1908, all 45 of the men sentenced to death for rape had been black men convicted of raping white women. The trial transcripts show that on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 8, 1949, Ruby Stroud Floyd, the 32-year-old wife of a department-store manager, entered a black area of the city to collect. "I won't talk about that," Martin said. Floyd identified two of her rapists as Grayson and Hampton, but she could not identify the others. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. The "Martinsville Seven" were convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, who had gone to a predominantly Black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia, on Jan. 8, 1949, to collect money . Though our words can do little, we hope our thoughts and prayers will encourage you this period and always as you mourn, the passing soul. The group of young men soon got the name The Martinsville Seven. "This is about righting wrongs," Northam said. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. But, none was selected for any of the seven juries, as the prosecutors rejected all of them on various grounds. First arrested for the crime was Frank Hairston, Jr. and Booker T. Millner, and soon James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson, then James Henry Hampton were gathered as additional suspects. The CRC in turn criticized the NAACP for its reliance on a legal strategy that had a dubious chance of success in a southern state where rigid Jim Crow was enforced. Why the Crusade on the Martinsville Seven: 1950. washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/1950-11-08-ma Martinsville 7 They shall not die: 1950, Martinville 7, subject of death penalty protests, later executed: 1950, Demand No Execution of Martinsville 7: 1951. www.flickr.com/photos/washington_area_spark/sets/72157643 Afro Headlines Martinsville, Va. Mass Executions: 1951, Freezing pickets call for Martinsville 7 clemency: 1951. Four of the men were executed in Virginia's electric chair on February 2, 1951. [8][16], On August 31, 2021, Governor Ralph Northam posthumously pardoned all seven men. Defense lawyers claimed that the initial confessions were forced by the local sheriff. All seven men were convicted and sentenced to death within eight days. James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. The longest deliberations lasted less than two hours, Rise said. A Year of History: Martinsville Seven executions remain 'a raw wound' for many. In addition, each of the jury pools for the six separate trials contained some African Americans. The attack occurred in Cherrytown, the black section of Martinsville. He was appalled at the nature of the crime.[2]. JavaScript is disabled. '", She said her grandmother, Josephine Grayson, now living in Maryland, "will not speak on that at all under (any) circumstances.". Rape is no longer a death-eligible crime in the U.S., but 60 years later, the executions of the Martinsville Seven still provoke strong feelings in Martinsville's African-American community and among death-penalty critics. 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