Black men executed in 1951 rape granted posthumous pardons

By DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has granted posthumous pardons to seven Black men executed in 1951 for the rape of a white woman. At the time, the case attracted pleas for mercy from around the world. In recent years, it has been held up as an example of racial disparity in the use of the death penalty. The ‘Martinsville Seven’ were all convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd in a predominantly black neighborhood in Martinsville on Jan. 8, 1949. It was the largest mass execution for rape in U.S. history. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. Their petition does not argue that the men were innocent, but says their trials were unfair and the punishment was extreme and unjust.