Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio
In 2020, when he was officially declared as the next president of the United States, Joe Biden sent a clear message to Black America: I have your back.
Now, with less than two weeks to go until Inauguration Day, President Biden still has the opportunity to cement his progressive legacy, and deliver on three critical promises he made to our community.
First, clemency.
Last month’s historic announcement from the White House — commuting nearly every federal death row inmate — was welcomed news for the holidays, bringing justice and healing to countless families across the country. Unlike the final days of Trump’s first term — where Trump oversaw an expedited “spree of executions” — President Biden is prioritizing true justice.
However, while these actions are significant on a number of levels, these actions alone are not enough to address the centuries of injustice and mass incarceration that Black communities have had to live with.
Right now, Black people make up about 14% of the total population but account for 39% of those in federal prison.
Granting clemency to those serving sentences that would be much shorter if they were sentenced today must be a top priority for the president. For instance, although the current Department of Justice has ended the widely condemned crack vs. powder cocaine sentencing disparity, far too many Black Americans who were sentenced before the policy changed remain incarcerated. Additionally, many people whose sentences would have been reduced if the First Step Act were made fully retroactive remain behind bars. And still, many others remain ineligible for consideration for compassionate release simply because they were sentenced before November 1987 under the “old law.” The majority of these individuals have likely spent decades behind bars and…
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