In 1859 and early 1860, John Brown and six of his raiders—Albert Hazlett, John Copeland Jr., Shields Green, Aaron Stevens, John E. Cook, and Edwin Coppock—were executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Their crime? Daring to confront the brutal institution of slavery through the raid on the federal armory and arsenal at Harpers Ferry, an act then deemed insurrection and treason. Today, we ask that Virginia reexamine this chapter of its past and grant these men an official posthumous pardon.   Brown and his compatriots were driven by a deep and unwavering belief in the principle of human equality. This is evident in the Provisional Constitution and Ordinances for the People of the United States, which Brown authored in 1858 to lay out a vision of justice and freedom for all. Brown and his men were not criminals, but moral pioneers—activists who acted with courage and conviction to accomplish and make a reality that famous preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Thus we seek theirs pardon on all their charges, Murder, Treason, and inciting slave insurrection. As Edwin Coppock poignantly wrote to his uncle on the day of his execution: "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.’” Issuing a pardon today would not erase the past, but rather acknowledge the righteousness of their cause and their place in the long fight for human rights that one would hope the State of Virginia now fully supports.   We urge the Governor of Virginia and the Virginia General Assembly to issue posthumous pardons for these men and honor them for their sacrifice in the struggle for justice.   Will you stand with us? Sign the petition today and help ensure their legacy is remembered with the dignity it deserves.