Free at last.
One of former Governor Mike Parson’s final acts before leaving office was issuing 16 pardons, one of which was for Celia Newsom. Newsom was a Callaway County slave who was executed after defending herself against her owner. Her descendant, Pamela Westbrooks-Hodge, celebrates the occasion that took place nearly 170 years later.
“We’re so grateful for all of those wonderful people who literally stood in the gap for Celia, who placed the phone calls, who said this is really important,” Westbrooks-Hodge told Missourinet. “This is of historic importance. This is our opportunity to right a wrong that should never have happened. This young mother who lost her life for defending herself against sexual abuse.”…