About Me
The Life of Marcus Garvey
Marcus Garvey was born August 17th, 1887 in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. In 1906, Garvey left Saint Ann’s Bay for Kingston, Jamaica for more opportunities. There he worked as a printer at a newspaper and got his first real taste of organized labor when the printers labor union went on strike for more pay. The strike was unsuccessful and Garvey went on to work for the government’s printing office.
Marcus Garvey then went to Costa Rica and worked there at a banana plantation. Seeing the horrible working conditions blacks were forced to work under, Marcus became determined to change the lives of the people of his race. After Costa Rica, Garvey traveled throughout Central and upper-South America observing the same sub-human standards blacks in countries were working in. He returned to colonial Jamaica and pleaded with the government to improve conditions but no one took interest in Garvey’s mission. He then realized that the only way to change the plight of his people was to unite the blacks and he soon after formed the Universal Negro Improvement and Conservation Association and African Communities League (UNIA.) “The association sought to unite ‘all the people of African ancestry of the world into one great body to establish a country and Government absolutely their own.’†http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Garvey 12/03/06
Garvey was set in the idea that blacks should have a permanent homeland in Africa so his movement wanted to develop Liberia. The Liberia program was intended to build schools, railroads, and an industrial base but never happened because of much resistance from European powers. When responding to questions of why he wanted to take all Americans of African ancestry back to Africa he said, "I have no desire to take all black people back to Africa, there are blacks who are no good here and will likewise be no good there." He further reasoned, "our success educationally, industrially and politically is based upon the protection of a nation founded by ourselves. And the nation can be nowhere else but in Africa." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Garvey 12/03/06
By 1920 the UNIA had over 1,100 branches in 40 countries, most in the United States which was the base of their operations. Over the incoming years, Garvey worked to improve the rights of black people everywhere; even in his last years in London he kept an eye on events in Africa and the West Indies. Marcus Garvey died in 1940 and was proclaimed in 1964 as Jamaica’s first national hero.
The Impact of Marcus Garvey
Garvey spearheaded many ideas that were designed to help the political, social, and economic lives of blacks. One of which was the Black Star Line steamship line but later failed due to corruption of management. Another idea that Garvey came up with was the Negro Factories Foundation which was designed to manufacture any product imaginable. A grocery store chain, a restaurant, and other businesses were started.
The teachings of Marcus Garvey were the main ideologies for the 5th Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England in 1945. http://www.swagga.com/marcus.htm 12/03/05 Some of the attendants of this conference would later return to Africa and lead independence movements in their own countries. Also, the prime minister of what we now call Ghana fought for the independence of the entire Gold Coast of Africa and acknowledged Marcus Garvey for his political inspiration. Ghana is now recognized as the first colony of the British-Commonwealth of Nations to become independent and self governing.
The Rasta or Rastafari movement of Jah people consider Marcus Garvey to be a prophet and some even consider him to be a reincarnate of John the Baptist. One of the most famous prophecies attributed to him involving the coronation of Haile Selassie I was the 1927 pronouncement "Look to Africa, for there a king shall be crowned.†The first of the Rastas were Garveyites and even in very early Rasta folklore, it was the Black Star Liner (the ship Garvey bought to encourage the black movement to Liberia) that takes them home to Africa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastafari_movement..Marcus_Garv ey 12/03/06
Another impact Garvey had, and still has, is in the reggae community. Reggae artists use their music as a medium to spread the message of Marcus Garvey and also use their music as a way of never letting Marcus Garvey be forgotten. The popular artist Burning Spear especially expresses the prophecy of Marcus Garvey in his songs. Spear states, "Youths are not taught Marcus Garvey, I feel dem never knew him, but I musically help people know Marcus." http://debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/parmett.html 12/03/05
