In 1859 and early 1860, Virginia executed John Brown and six of his raiders: Albert Hazlett, John Copeland Jr., Shields Green, Aaron Stevens, John E. Cook, and Edwin Coppock. Their crime? They dared to strike a blow against the evil institution of slavery by raiding the federal armory at Harpers Ferry. Today, we’re asking the Commonwealth of Virginia to revisit that dark chapter and grant these men a full posthumous pardon. John Brown and his men were driven by a fierce, unshakable belief that all people are created equal. In 1858, Brown even wrote a Provisional Constitution to lay out his vision of a truly free and just society. These weren’t criminals — they were moral visionaries who risked everything to turn the words of the Declaration of Independence into reality. We ask Virginia to pardon them of all charges: murder, treason, and inciting slave insurrection. As Edwin Coppock wrote to his uncle on the day he was hanged: “By the taking of my life and the lives of my comrades, Virginia is but hastening on that glorious day, when the slave will rejoice in his freedom and say, ‘I, too, am a man, and am groaning no more under the yoke of oppression.’” A pardon today wouldn’t erase history. It would simply recognize that their cause was right — and that their sacrifice was part of the long, painful struggle for human freedom that Virginia now claims to support. We call on the Governor of Virginia and the General Assembly to issue these posthumous pardons and finally honor these men for their courage. Will you stand with us? Please sign the petition and help give John Brown and his raiders the dignity their legacy deserves.