A misunderstood Messiah?
Marcus Garvey — A Brief History
Born: Marcus Mosiah Garvey, 17 August 1887, Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica
Died: 10 June 1940 (aged 52), West Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation: Publisher, Journalist
Recognised: Activism, Black Nationalism (advocacy of or support for unity, and political self-determination for black people, especially in the form of a separate black nation), Pan-Africanism
Spouse(s): Amy Ashwood (m. 1919; div. 1922), Amy Jacques (m. 1922)
Children: 2, Marcus Mosiah Garvey III and Julius Winston Garvey.
About Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican-born black nationalist and leader of the Pan-Africanism movement, which sought to unify and connect people of African descent worldwide. In the United States, he was a noted civil rights activist who founded the Negro World newspaper, a shipping company called Black Star Line and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), a fraternal organisation of black nationalists. As a group, they advocated for “separate but equal” status for persons of African ancestry, and as such they sought to establish independent black states around the world, notably in Liberia on the west coast of Africa.
The above paragraph pretty much sums up Marcus Garvey’s intentions, and what he was able to establish in his 52 years on earth. I won’t go into the finer details of his life but like many figures of the past, especially African, he was a polarising character with supporters and detractors in like measure, with resulting biased accounts of his experiences.
I will concentrate on a few accounts that detail a measure of the man that I feel best highlighted his intentions. Firstly, two years after he had founded UNIA in Jamaica, there were unsubstantiated claims and allegations that he was using UNIA funds for his personal expenses. As reports circulated support began to decline on the Island, so he left for the USA. This would represent the beginning of constant resistance he would encounter on his attempt to liberate Africans of the diaspora. Unfortunately, a lot of the resistance came from capitalist incentivised black people that more than likely were unknowingly supporting a system that will keep us firmly at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder for at least another 400 years.
Although the support he received in America for the uplifting of the oppressed population of blacks was widely accepted, there was also an equal push back, not only from white Americans but also established black sections, that were already in full compliance with an integrated America that was still 45 years from being realised. W. E. B. Du Bois the founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) was one of Garvey’s most ardent detractors, who remains one of the most celebrated figures in African American history.
After his initial six-month countrywide tour to raise awareness of his ideals, in 1917, he was able to establish a New York based branch if UNIA. A year later he launched the Negro World but lacked financial backing, as it didn’t feature adverts for skin lightening or hair straightening creams amidst the backdrop of over 400 black run magazines at the time. This led to Garvey urging us to “take the kinks out of your minds, instead of out of your hair”.
The latter instance particularly highlighted the pure intentions and uncompromising nature of Garvey’s work which would be a hallmark of his quest and the importance of liberating the mental and physical aspects of his brothers and sisters.
Legacy of Marcus Garvey
Despite a 2-year imprisonment for mail fraud (using a picture that was not yet owned or for sale for the purpose of the advertisement) and assassination attempt, Garvey remained steadfast his attempt to liberate Africa’s children from mental and physical bondage in foreign lands. Although his attempts fell short of the vision he had, not least due to the repeated apparent sabotage of ships for transport and international relations in his adopted countries, and the Motherland, his legacy and reputation remain intact despite attempts to assassinate his character.
His legacy is summed up by the author of Black Moses: The Story of Marcus Garvey and the UNIA.
Garvey attracted attention chiefly because he put into powerful ringing phrases the secret thoughts of the Negro world. He told his listeners what they wanted to hear — that a black skin was not a badge of shame but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness. He promised a Negro nation in the African homeland that would be the marvel of the modern world. He pointed to Negro triumphs in the past and described in glowing syllables the glories of the future. When Garvey spoke of the greatness of the race, Negroes everywhere could forget for a moment the shame of discrimination and the horrors of lynching.
— Edmund David Cronon 1955
The sentiment in this statement rings true today as it did 100 years ago, putting credence to W. E. B. Du Bois’ statement that “A system cannot fail those it was never designed to protect”.
Death of Marcus Garvey
Garvey had suffered with asthma for most of his life and suffered from a range of respiratory issues. This and poor living condition led to his death in England.
His standard of living at his death always represented a man that despite all his efforts would ultimately have redistributed the wealth he had accumulated on what he deemed worthy causes in service to his fellow Africans. Even being charged six times the worth of a ship to have it ultimately not be fit for purpose, or having your operations sabotaged by the FBI, allegedly, would not deter him from his vision.
The fact so many people that acquire a fortune often meet their death in comfort, and generational wealth to bestow on future generations are not necessarily a sign of bad intention. But with a righteous endeavour for the accumulation of money, especially when dependent on public donations, if a man is filled with this righteous intent a symbol of that is living out his final years in humble accommodation, as opposed to stacking up riches on earth.
The lessons I teach and show my children will always carry the sentiments I interpret from this great man’s experience. All men have their flaws, but this perspective is the memory I choose to remember Marcus Garvey in hope that any accumulated wealth or knowledge I am able to acquire, will be redistributed for the greater good.
Kwasi Genus
Sources
Marcus Garvey: Civil Rights Activist. Biography.com
Marcus Garvey: History.com
Wikipedia
YouTube: Marcus Garvey — Full Documentary
