On today's episode. If I didn't know, maybe you didn't either. I have a question. How many of y'all knew that? In nineteen fifty one, the United States pulled off the largest mass execution for a single crime in modern history. YEP, Seven black men in Virginia gone, just like that. They were called the Martinsville seventh. I didn't know. Maybe you didn't. I didn't know. Maybe I didn't know. I didn't know. Maybe you didn't I did. I didn't know. I didn't know.
I didn't know. Now I know what you're thinking. Damn what they do? Well, they were accused of raping a white woman. There's some debate about whether they were guilty or not. Some folks like, nah, they did it, and there's others like, but where's the evidence? Though? Either way, the real crime here was how fast the system moved to snatch their lives. Let me break it down for you.
These men were arrested, interrogated with no lawyers, just some cops breathing down the next screaming at him like sign here, and when you got no rights, no support, and you're terrified, you'll sign anything, confessions, check evidence, crickets. Then they get dragged in front of all white juries in a segregated courtroom. Y'all know what that meant. It was over before it even started. The trials were done in days. They got sentenced to death faster and you can uber eat a
four piece Supreme Combo from Bojangles. Appeals ignored, and in nineteen fifty one, Virginia said next and put them in the electric chair. Seven men, two days? Can we pause for a second? Two days? Men, I've seen people wait longer for an oil change. Now fast forward to nineteen eighty nine. We all know about the Central Park five right, Five black and Latino teenagers accused of attacking a white woman in New York. The current president of the United
States took out a full page add on them. They were interrogated the same way. No lawyers, no parents, just a room full of cops, like write this down if you ever want to see sunlight again, buddy. They confessed to crimes that they didn't commit, got thrown in prison, and it took thirteen years and DNA evidence to clear their names. But the Martinsville seven, they didn't get those
thirteen years. They didn't get Netflix documentaries or avaduvine directing their story, they got two years, a sham trial, and an electric chair. Seventy years later, though, seventy years later, Virginia was like, oh my bad and pardoned them. Pardoned them after their families had already lost everything, Like what's a pardon gonna do? Give them free Wi Fi in
the afterlife. And here's the kicker. Some people still argue about their guilt, like, well, maybe they did it okay, but even if they did, seven death sentences, trials rushed like a thirty minute lunch break, where's the humanity? The Martinsville seven and the Central Park five are two sides of the same dirty coin black men sacrificed on the altar of white. But be ye not confused. These stories ain't just about the past. They're about what's still broken
in the present. And I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. Listen up, man, if you love this series, you can now listen to us every single week starting in March, for all types of things that I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. Did you know snails have two thousand teeth at least and they're all on their tongue? Or did you know that Julia White Erkle was supposed to be Rudy in the Cosby Show, but then Keisha Knight Pulliam pulled up and sprinkle some black girl magic on
it weekly starting in March. I didn't know. Maybe you didn't either. Make sure you're following the show on the Our Heart app so that you can hear more. Okay, Bye,