[13] The day before the youngest of the seven was executed, he said, "God knows I didn't touch that woman and I'll see ya'll on the other side. The Civil Rights Congress defended the men originally, and later conducted two marches and other attempts to raise awareness and conduct a public campaign on behalf of their agenda. Since they ranged widely in experience, he asked the more experienced ones to aid the newer attorneys. They noted the assaults of Floyd had no evidence of homicidal intent. Virginia law authorized capital punishment for accessories, parties to the act of rape who did not take part in the act. [9], 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). Virginia school district plans to install solar panels in schools + Virginia school district expects work to begin soon on the installation of solar panels at … "[2] Their concern was ensuring a fair trial.[2].
A grand jury (which included both black and white members) indicted all the men. The first four were executed at 15-minute intervals on February 2.
Martin A. Martin and other NAACP attorneys defended the men on appeals, attempting to ensure fair trials, set due process precedents, and gain clemency or sentence reductions. 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. They argued for lesser sentences, but Battle resisted their pleas. [2], The officials separated the men. One of the convicted men's parents contacted the CRC directly and asked one of its lawyers to defend their son DeSales Grayson. [2], Rise says that the white community disdained Ruby Floyd for her missionary work with the Jehovah's Witnesses and for her willingness to enter the black part of Martinsville. The NAACP appeals also noted that since Virginia started use of the electric chair, only black men had been executed for rape in the state for what was a non-lethal crime. Our goal is to provide you with timely information regarding the status of civil rights in Virginia and the nation. 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. [6] From 1908 to 1951, only Texas, North Carolina and Georgia executed more black men for rape than did Virginia. Together we will work to build stronger NAACP branches by providing direct state support. 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. Together representatives, both black and white, of the CRC and NAACP, as well as other citizens, met with Battle in June 1950 to appeal for a pardon or clemency for the defendants in the case. Based on her account, in which she claimed to have been raped by several black men, the police quickly arrested Frank Hairston, Jr. and Booker Millner.
Howard Lee Hairston, age 20, denied having sex with Floyd. There was considerable community sentiment against the men. Economic Opportunity 4. This page was last edited on 21 August 2020, at 22:12. The preliminary hearing occurred about a month later, and the grand jury two months after that. Racism was less explicit in the trial than in cases known as "legal lynchings" in the South, in which innocent men were convicted (e.g., the Scottsboro Boys, Willie McGee), and the Groveland Boys. Another, from China, called the sentence a "barbaric" example of American "fascist hooliganism". 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. "[2] The prosecution did not explicitly discuss race; it argued the case based on the "preservation of community stability, not the protection of southern womanly virtues,"[2] as had formerly been common.
The shortest was little more than half an hour. 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.
They were quickly tried in six separate trials (two agreed to be tried together), and each was convicted and sentenced to death.
The Court of Appeals upheld the rulings on March 13, 1950, with Chief Justice Edward W. Hudgins writing: "one can hardly conceive of a more atrocious, a more beastly crime". Anson C. Asaka. Rev. Their quick arrest assured the community that stability was being preserved. All but one man was in his early 20s. Interim General Counsel. 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. Only one of the accused had a prior criminal record, and most of the men were employed. To protect them from mob violence, they took them to other jails outside Henry County. Criminal Justice 5. [12], 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. The NAACP has started a social movement and we need your voice to make one thing clear: We Are Done Dying. They applied the bulk of the funds raised to the defense of clients. In some cases, they said that the police had written the confessions, that the formal account varied from a handwritten version, and that they had not fully read the police version when signing and did not recognize that their own accounts had been changed. At 7:30 p.m., after dark, she went to Mary Wade's house for shelter, showing signs of an assault. The juries were all white and all male.
He was appalled at the nature of the crime.[2]. Earl D. Trent Jr.’s historic black church is raising enough money to do the Lord, Schools, churches, mosques and synagogues across Virginia could go solar, if the Virginia State Conference NAACP has its. In advance of a large planned CRC demonstration in the state capital, Governor Battle doubled the capital guard and alerted the state militia. Four more suspects were arrested that night, based in part on the first two men's confessions. He resented being under so much pressure. Whittle.[6].
The Wades called an ambulance for her. [2], The trials were held back to back, each with a separate jury of twelve white men. Virginia had historically convicted and executed numerous black men accused of raping white women; for most of its history, only blacks were sentenced to death for rape. On the stand, each of the defendants at least partially rejected his confession. Focus Areas: 1. All of the appeals by the NAACP failed. Earl D. Trent Jr.’s historic black ...Readmore, Schools, churches, mosques and synagogues across Virginia could go solar, i...Readmore, The Virginia State Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (VSC NAACP) extend condolences. He and his older brother (below) were not related to Frank Hairston, Jr. Francis DeSales Grayson, age 38 and of Richmond, Virginia, denied having sex with Floyd; only defendant without local ties. By the next morning, all the men in custody had signed confessions. [7][8] An editorial in New York's Amsterdam News read, When we consider the fact that in the entire history of the Old Dominion state, no white man has ever received capital punishment for rape, then of necessity we must conclude that the death penalty for seven men for a singular crime was neither righteous, nor compassionate, nor wise. Ralph Northam has lost the public's trust and must leave office immediately. Virginia State Conference NAACP1214 W. Graham Street Richmond, Virginia 23220, The Virginia State Conference National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (VSC NAACP) extend condolences and prayers to the, Last modified on Wednesday, 01 November 2017 00:29, Support Voting Rights - Email Your Senators, Virginia State Conference Statement on Virginia Beach Shootings, NAACP doubles down on call for Northam to resign with "demand", Virginia school district plans to install solar panels in schools, Churches going green to save some green and do the Lord's work, State NAACP to push 'Energy from God' bill. When the NAACP appealed their convictions, its defense team noted that when the police had questioned the men, they had been drinking for some time, and they were not allowed to consult with lawyers or their families. Read More. The remaining three were executed on February 5, 1951. The prosecution, led by Irvin W. Cubine, introduced evidence showing that non-consensual sex took place. [3] Authorities showed increased professional conduct and procedures since the controversial arrest and execution of Odell Waller during World War II (he was initially represented at trial by the Trotskyite Revolutionary Workers League and ultimately executed).[4]. Virginia NAACP leaders said Saturday Gov. The Virginia NAACP is committed to equality and justice for all. In 1977 the Supreme Court referred to those arguments with respect to rulings in other cases. After being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating themselves and each other. NAACP Legal Staff. We will build and enhance membership both in Youth Councils and College Chapters. After training the first generation of Civil Rights lawyers during his years as Dean of Howard University’s Law School, Houston was appointed in 1935 to be the first Special Counsel of the NAACP. Our goal is to provide you with timely information regarding the status of civil rights in Virginia and the nation. Federal Advocacy 2. The CRC also had organized an international campaign, and Governor Battle was swamped by letters from overseas asking him to commute the sentences of the men. The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and discrimination.
The Virginia NAACP is committed to equality and justice for all. Education 3. Browse local Virginia Workers Compensation attorney and law firm listings and reviews on Lawyers.com to find the best lawyer for your Workers Compensation legal needs. Though Governor William Tuck initially agreed to a stay during appellate litigation, by late July 1950, newly elected Governor John S. Battle refused to commute the men's sentences, saying he was horrified by the rapes. Newly elected Virginia Governor John S. Battle refused their request for clemency. Take action now. [1] According to historian Eric W. Rise, this case "demonstrated the power of the southern legal system to enforce codes of racial behavior."[2]. The biggest challenge at the Rev. The appellate courts upheld the convictions and sentences, and the US Supreme Court twice refused to hear the cases. The alleged rapes occurred on Saturday, January 8, 1949, after Ruby Stroud Floyd, a 32-year-old white woman, entered a black neighborhood in Martinsville, Virginia, to collect money for clothing she had sold. For example, the United States Justice Department provides legal aid for civil matters for applicants that meet specific income standards. The NAACP Law Fellow Program is designed to give individuals who have completed at least one year of law school the opportunity to work for the summer at the Washington, D.C. office of NAACP Empowerment Programs, Inc.