Book Report on Marcus Garvey

The book I have chosen to review provides details on the life Marcus Mosiah Garvey, a revolutionary leader who was black. It also gives in depth information in regard to his role and involvement in the Pan Africanist Movement and black solidarity among the African people around the world. He was an innovator in black empowerment, very desirous to encourage people to love both themselves and others and to be very aware of how “black” you are.

Marcus Garvey was born in August of the year 1887 in Northern Jamaica.

His father, Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr, was an artisan and brick layer while his mother, Sarah Jane Richards came from a family of small planters that was developed from the peasantry class. Members of the community they were living in at the point in time, will depend on Marcus Garvey Sr for translations as he read a lot of books. He was even able to provide translations of what he read. There were a lot of heated debates being stirred up around the political readings.

These debates focused mainly on what role a black man would have in politics. During this period, the Marcus Garvey Sr was an enthusiast of George William Gordon. Mr. Gordon was a politician that supported the idea of having some form of representation from the black community involved in the politics and he was a major supporter of Paul Bogel.

During the time Marcus Garvey Jr was born, it was a time of post revolution ideas and from since he was young, he noticed the differences in the Jamaican society, the defeat of the African people and the murder of farmers and plantation workers in Jamaica, who were black.

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Marcus Garvey resided in a socio-economic background and had a strong desire to know a lot. This hunger for knowledge has initiated the process in allowing the black middle class to access any form of academics in the future. During this time, the black people were experiencing mental domination and therefore needed to be freed from it. It is as the famous singer Bob Marley sung, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our mind.” In addition to this, Marcus Garvey’s parents went through a separation when he was around fifteen (15) years old.

He became the only male in the household and was therefore forced to become mature before time, in order to assist his mother and his older sister. Having to “man up” in the family, he began working at a local printer and later moved to Kingston in 1906 to work in the printing department of a larger company called PA Benjamin Manufacturing Company. The printing skills he gained overtime, became very helpful to him later on in life, as he would the begin printing media in the newspaper about Pan Africanist ideologies. During his time working at the printery, Marcus Garvey was able to gain improvement in the language and writing of speeches and later became a public speaker. He then started to release a number of songs, poems and even texts about philosophy just to name a few, that were published. This began the promotion of black consciousness.

Garvey became part of the trade union movement and was later elected as the vice president of the branch of the Kingston Typographical Union. This then gave him the idea to start publishing booklets to highlight the way in which the black people were treated unfairly as they stood up for their rights. He began his travels to Central America in order to publish about opposition in crown colony rule in Belize or British Honduras.

He later journeyed to England to pursue education, where he met with Duse Mohammed. Mr. Mohammed was an Egyptian who introduced Marcus Garvey to African history and the slave trade. This really peaked Garvey’s interest so much so, that he began to follow the history of Europe. He then returned to Jamaica right before the first World War in the year 1914.

Garvey returned and published a pamphlet entitled “A talk with Afro West Indian: The Negro Race and Its Problems”. While he was travelling through Europe he saw the alienation and the poor conditions the Afro European people, in England, Scotland, Italy, Spain, Hungary, and Germany had to go through. It was because of this, he developed the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, here on in referred to as UNIA-ACL. When this organization was launched, Garvey hosted a public meeting to do so and as a result, there was an increase in racism towards him. There were articles about him titled, “Garvey is crazy, he has lost his head. No one wants to be a Negro.” It was noted that a black man usually defines himself based on “colonial britishness”. There was a sense of scorn towards being black. One of the objectives when developing UNIA-ACL, was to help with this situation.

Marcus Garvey was desirous of dealing with the injustices of the slave trade on the people of Africa. Slavery was an entrepreneurship venture globally and Garvey was very much aware of this. Blacks had to submit to the white supremes. This was something that was fixed in the Americas. Life on the plantations were so systematics that everyone was strategically placed into a particular position based on the colour of their skin. This legacy that is still present today has promoted that whites are superior and blacks are inferior. Garvey himself, experienced it as a child growing up. He recalls having a friend he played with, who was white. However, as they got older, he realised that her parents disallowed their friendship from continuing. This was based on race.

The black people played a very instrumental role in the development of the Americas. There were a lot of people who travelled to the United States and places in Central America, such as Panama, to assist in building the canal. With regards to the railway construction, the banana fields and many other projects that benefitted the Americas, the West Indians were very instrumental. A number of them even had their lives at risk when they went to war in support of Britain during World War I. Caribbean migration and Garveyism increased simultaneously which therefore meant that the ideas and beliefs of Marcus Garvey was quickly spreading.

In 1920, there was a convention where the announcement of negro people rights was voiced. This event took place in New York. It clearly stated the cruel conditions under which the black people were treated globally and listed the vital rights for them. It declared “Africa For Africans at home and abroad.” It encouraged civil rights and disobedience since the laws were unfair.

In 1918, there was a Pace Conference. This took place in the beautiful capital, Paris. At this very event, did things begin to get slightly complicated. There was a major feud among countries that ended up getting very physical. Despite such an outcome, the UNIA was able to make some headway and set out a few issues. These issues focused mainly on having one standard. There must be no discrimination against the black people. The same opportunities that were being afforded to any black child.

Marcus Garvey and the Ku Klux Klan, from here on in referred to as KKK, were head on with each other. While Garvey was in one area rallying the black population, the KKK was in another doing the same for the white population. Eventually, the KKK began to infiltrate in attempt to win over the areas Marcus Garver was already in. However, Garvey came to the realization that all battles are not to be dealt with the same way. This was one to be treated with very delicately. He tried to be communicate to the Anglo Saxon Clubs that both associations were about similar beliefs and teachings, in relationship to each race of course. This civilized and cordial relationship between the two angered the black community because these Clubs had relations with KKK. It was a simple matter of the KKK and UNIA-ACL having respect for one another. He did not discriminate. As a matter of fact, he encouraged black people who voted to support a white candidate in an election in the year 1924.

The UNIA-ACL received a lot of acknowledgement and appreciation in a number of countries; Canada, the Caribbean Islands, Australia and Panama, just to name a few. As they became very well known, people began to say that Garvey was encouraging racism but he responded that slavery was already responsible for that as the blacks felt the effects of it and it was not his doing at all. It was so prominent, it infiltrated into institutions in America.

It was an observation of Garvey that the whites were very entrepreneurial. A lot of the businesses were owned by them. He believed that if they can have the desire to be so successful to the point of being recognised in black states, then there was no excuse that the blacks had to feel like they were not able to establish their own businesses in white states. The UNIA-ACL was able to provide support to their members in aid of ensuring that they were successful as well. There was even a ship available for the use of trading their products. This ship was called, “The Black Star Line.”

There was a newspaper was very instrumental when it came to distribution for the UNIA and the Pan Africanist viewpoints. It was named, “The Negro World”. It promoted black values and self-importance and was also made available in both French and Spanish.

In 1919, Marcus Garvey was shot multiple times by a man who later committed suicide while he was in custody. Garvey survived and very adamant that not even the bullets he received will stop him from supporting and encouraging the blacks. This caught the attention of people and a lot of them decided that they will fight with him. Approximately a decade later, Garvey became involved in the politics in Jamaica and created a political party called the People’s Political Party. He was supported by many. A year later, he made some economic demands which we very reasonable and beneficial to many. Garvey was very upset about the unfair tax distribution which resulted in rural areas being neglected. Though he had a lot of support, he struggled with achieving the votes of the middle class black people. This resulted in him being unsuccessful at the polls due to insufficient votes. Most of the people that voted for him came from the lower class. Not even black priests supported him.

The PPP however launched the first platform officially where they requested education and health to be free as well as he wanted everyone to be allowed to vote regardless of their status in society. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to live to see it come to fruition.

Garvey later left Jamaica and moved to England. While he resided there, he suffered multiple strokes which he eventually succumbed to in the year 1940. He wanted to have his body deported back to Jamaica which occurred approximately two decades later.

Marcus Garvey was officially declared a national hero in 1964. However he was also recognised globally. He made major contributions to the black community. Although they we his focus, he never encouraged racism. He may not have supported everything the whites did but he believed in having respect. He did not believe that people should have taken advantage of others and even if it involved the blacks. He will not condone it. He made the way for all black people, no matter what class, to have an equal opportunity as everyone else. In this way, everyone can be successful.