Executed in 1951, Seven Black Men Receive Posthumous Pardon

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

42% : But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people.
39% : The case of the Martinsville Seven was cited during the legislative debate as an example of the disproportionate use of the death penalty against people of color.
37% : Eric W, Rise, an associate professor at the University of Delaware who wrote a 1995 book on the case: "The Martinsville Seven: Race, Rape, and Capital Punishment," said Floyd told police she was raped by a large group of Black men and testified at all six trials.
31% : Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam granted posthumous pardons Tuesday to seven Black men who were executed in 1951 for the rape of a White woman, in a case that attracted pleas for mercy from around the world and in recent years has been denounced as an example of racial disparity in the use of the death penalty.

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