"Their punishment did not fit the crime. For a PDF of this 8 x 11, one-sided, flyer, see washingtonspark.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/1950-11-08-ma For more information and related images, see flic.kr/s/aHsjWUExj5. "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. Thanks for your help! The trial lasted for eleven days, during which the jury heard testimonies from both sides, including medical evidence of Floyds physical injuries and accounts from black witnesses whom Floyd appealed to for help after the assault. 7 Black men executed in 1951 for rape granted posthumous pardons The Martinsville Seven were convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who visited a predominantly Black community in 1949 to collect money for outfits she sold. At the time, rape was a capital offense. In March, Northam, a Democrat, signed legislation passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature abolishing the state's death penalty. Although it was dark, Floyd testified in all six trials identifying each of the seven. New York, Today: On January 8, 1949, from the dingy negro slums of Martinville, Virginia, staggered attractive, dark-haired Mrs. Ruby Stroud Floyd (32), shouting that she . 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. They should not have been executed," he added. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. Please try again later. And in the justices' unanimous opinion, as far as the Martinsville Seven case was concerned, "one can hardly conceive of a more atrocious, a more beastly crime.". "It means so much to me," he said of the pardon. In Martinsville, the executions are no longer a common topic of conversation, but they remain on the minds of many African-Americans. Please enter valid email address to continue. He wept when Northam announced he would pardon the men. The Martinsville 7, seven African American men sentenced to death for the rape of a white woman in Virginia are shown in a group photograph while in prison in 1950. Four of the men testified in their own defence. Your email address will not be published. The campaign included picket lines, a demonstration by hundreds rallying in Richmond to try to persuade Gov. He said none of the men had attorneys present while they were interrogated. [2], The officials separated the men. [2][13] The CRC began to organize mass actions in Richmond. I suppose that's how the electric nigglet was found innocent too. Verify and try again. 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. They were not assigned a lawyer. The young men with spotty employment records but no real criminal history soon became known as the Martinsville Seven. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? [15] It is the largest execution for rape charges in the United States. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Ruby Stroud Floyd obituary is not public at the time, we will share more as we learn about the obituary and possibly the funeral. Pickets parade in front of the White House Jan. 30, 1951, in an effort to persuade President Truman to halt execution of seven black men sentenced to death in Virginia on charges of raping a white woman. At the time of their arrest, all but one were between the ages of 18 and 23. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Each man was charged with rape and aiding and abetting rape both crimes punishable by death at the time. The sentences were carried out in February 1951, the largest group of executions for crimes against a single victim in state history and one of the largest in U.S. history. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. The seven were charged with the rape of Ruby Stroud Floyd in a black neighborhood of Martinsville, Virginia on January 8, 1949. Add to your scrapbook. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password. While we can't change the past, I hope today's action brings them some small measure of peace. By the spring of 1949, all seven men were charged with rape. There was an error deleting this problem. He was pronounced dead at 8:12 a.m. Three more executions quickly followed. Howard Lee Hairston, age 20, denied having sex with Floyd. The mass executions were the largest in Virginia in modern times. Archives Unbound. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Ruby Stroud Floyd always brought light to every room entered. After being held by police overnight, the first six all signed confessions, implicating themselves and each other. Only one of the accused had a prior criminal record, and most of the men were employed. [12] The NAACP's interest was in establishing legal precedent "for the benefit of due process and equal protection in general and the Negroes' rights in particular. [2], The trials were held back to back, each with a separate jury of twelve white men. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. It was the largest group of people executed for a single-victim crime in Virginia's history. (Figures for 1949 are not available, but one-third of the 1,505 rape victims in the state in 2009 were black women. Try again later. Before their executions, protesters picketed at the White House, and the governor's office received letters from around the world asking for mercy. Try again later. Audience Relations, CBC P.O. The seven men, most in their late teens or early 20s, were: Grayson, Millner, Frank Hairston Jr.; Howard Lee Hairston; James Luther Hairston; Joe Henry Hampton; and John Clabon Taylor. After the convictions, the seven were represented by Richmond-area civil-rights lawyers Martin A. Martin, Samuel W. Tucker, Roland D. Ealey and Oliver W. Hill, and others. But Northam said Tuesday that the death penalty for rape was applied almost exclusively to Black people. "Booker T. gave the little colored boy a quarter and told him to go (away)," Hampton told police. The Martinsville 7 were seven African American men convicted of raping a white woman in 1949. ", Hodge-Muse says, "This community does not have a hateful attitude that would lend itself to violence that's not our culture, and I think it speaks well of the black and white community that we have never had that type of meanness.". Use code: FLICKR10. That appeal failed, too, however. Virginia would later execute three more men for rape, the last in 1961. What makes the Justices so elite? Since they ranged widely in experience, he asked the more experienced ones to aid the newer attorneys. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. The image is a Civil Rights Congress flyer for a rally in New York City in 1950. State And Regional Martinsville Film To Be Produced By Charlottesville Activist And Uvas Center For Politics. Two days later, on Sunday, 100 people picketed the White House in Washington, and Josephine Grayson, wife of Francis Grayson, unsuccessfully sought to see President Harry S. Truman. Please enter your email and password to sign in. New York Public Library. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. She had previously distributed Jehovah's Witnesses materials in the neighborhood. The police first arrested Frank Hairston, Jr. and Booker T. Millner, and soon picked up James Luther Hairston, Howard Lee Hairston, John Clabon Taylor, Francis DeSales Grayson, then James Henry Hampton as additional suspects. 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. "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 said. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The photographer is unknown. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. 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 seven men, ranging in age from 18-37 years old, were arrested in 1949 for the reported rape of 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who lived in Martinsville. Listen to these niggers holding up seven rapists as though they were victims of some kind ! That they could be standing there for photos with those smug looks on their faces like they have something to be proud of is just beyond my comprehension ! [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 "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 . For more information and other images, see www.flickr.com/photos/washington_area_spark/sets/72157643 Photo by Washington Daily News. Gravely also does not believe everything has come out about the case. "These men were executed because they were Black, and that's not right," Northam said. 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. The campaign included picket lines, post cards and telegrams, a demonstration by hundreds rallying in Richmond to try to persuade Gov. "[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 prosecution, led by Irvin W. Cubine, introduced evidence showing that non-consensual sex took place. By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data by this website. Reached by telephone, she said her family will not talk about her grandfather or what happened. Cause of death Details of the circumstance surrounding our beloved, Ruby Stroud Floyddeath is not public yet, we will share more as we learn. James Walter Grayson is the son of Francis DeSales Grayson, who was one of the seven. Ralph Northam, left, looks over the. The preliminary hearing occurred about a month later, and the grand jury two months after that. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Every single one of the 45 men executed by Virginias electric chair for rape at that point were African American men charged with assaulting white women. "A white lady and a little colored boy came by and the lady asked where Ruth Pettie lived we all planned to get her when she came back.". Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Mrs. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. Try again. based on information from your browser. The "Martinsville Seven," as the men became known, were all convicted of raping 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd, a white woman who had gone to a predominantly Black neighbourhood in Martinsville, Va., on Jan. 8, 1949, to collect money for clothes she had sold. The night of Feb. 1, 1951, hundreds of people of both races gathered at the state Capitol to pray. On 8 January 1949, 32-year-old Ruby Stroud Floyd was out collecting money for some clothes she had recently sold. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. Year should not be greater than current year. Though they varied somewhat in detail, the accounts of what happened that night from the perpetrators, the victim, Martin and other witnesses in large part agreed. Defense lawyers argued that Floyd had consented to sexual intercourse by failing to forcibly resist the men and that the initial confessions were forced by the local sheriff. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007, North Carolina, U.S., Death Indexes, 1908-2004, U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Judge Kennon C. Whittle of the Martinsville Circuit Court granted requests to hold individual trials. Rise said that after Battle's clemency rejection, Martin filed a writ of habeas corpus a civil challenge to the death sentences arguing that the seven were denied equal protection under the law guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. In December, advocates and descendants of the men asked Northam to issue posthumous pardons. 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 money owed her by Ruth Pettie, a woman to whom she had sold clothing. Suggest Edits . The Spotsylvania County Sheriffs Office has decided to end its participation on a national television show, at least for now. August (1992): 461-490; Eric W. Rise, The Martinsville Seven: Race Rape and Capital Punishment (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1995). 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. May you find comfort knowing that life continues forever in heaven even as the memories shared live forever in our hearts. Try again later. "[17], National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, False accusations of rape as justification for lynchings, "These 7 Black Men Were Executed For An Alleged Rape. [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.
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