Martinsville 7 Week: Feb 1-5, 2021

The week of action is cosponsored by Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop, the Martinsville Seven Initiative Inc., and the Martinsville 7 Project. 

The Martinsville 7 Project 

The Martinsville 7 Project seeks to highlight the case of the Martinsville 7. The seven are Francis DeSales Grayson, Frank Hairston Jr., Howard Hairston, James Luther Hairston, Joe Henry Hampton, Booker T. Millner, and John Clabon Taylor. The goals of the project are to:

• Humanize the Martinsville 7 by sharing their stories: Francis DeSales Grayson, Frank Hairston Jr., Howard Hairston, James Luther Hairston, Joe Henry Hampton, Booker T. Millner, and John Clabon Taylor 
• Serve as clearinghouse of information about the Martinsville 7, their stories, historical background, case information, news reports, and advocacy to save the Martinsville 7  
• Highlight & promote the Martinsville 7 case, especially around the 70th anniversary of their executions in Feb, 2021 & the call for pardons

The project is supported by:

Pamela Hairston Chisholm, justice advocate keeping the memory of the Martinsville 7 case alive

Nick Matuszewski, President of William & Mary's Criminal Law Society

Hannah Merrill, 2L at William & Mary Law School

 Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop

Liz Ryan, advocate for juvenile & adult criminal justice reform

The Martinsville Seven Initiative, Inc.

The Martinsville Seven Initiative Inc. is a Martinsville, Virginia based organization dedicated to challenging injustices for people of color in Henry County, to calling attention to systemic racism, and to seeking closure for the Martinsville 7 including an exhibit to memorialize the memory of the Martinsville 7.