Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Anne’s Bay in Jamaica on August 17, 1887. Garvey was actually a descendent of the Maroons, who were Jamaica’s first fighters for freedom. Garvey loved to read books and educate himself. At the age of 14, Garvey left Jamaica in pursuit of financial stability. It is a common tradition in Jamaica to relocate and strive for a better future. Garvey relocated in Costa Rica with a family member and worked on a sugarcane plantation. His position there did not last for long and soon enough Garvey was working for a news paper called “The Nation”. This newspaper was unique because it catered to the needs of immigrants, this was a controversial newspaper.
Garvey was a well traveled man. He then went on to visit Europe and worked on the harbor in England. He then traveled to France, Germany, Italy and Austria. In all of these countries Garvey worked in publishing and wrote for many newspapers. In 1914 Garvey returned to Jamaica where he became on of the founders of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). This organization like its title focused on the improvement of the African American. The goal of this organization was to unify all of the black people into one county, with one government. The motto of this organization was “One God! One Aim! One Destiny”.
Garvey was best known for his “Back to Africa” movement. Garvey’s main goal was to “uplift the race”, redeem African and remove European colonial powers in Africa. He had an idea that black people should return back to Africa. Garvey also organized a company called Black Star Line, in which there was international trade between black Africans in efforts to eventually return all African Americans back to Africa. Garvey believed that Africa was the ancestral home and he believed in the spirituality that existed in the Africa.
Garvey was a prominent figure in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance. This era was filled with artist, intellectuals, fine art, and literature. Harlem was the perfect place for Garvey to express his ideas and gain support from African Americans. Garvey encouraged black people to have self love and to be proud of their history.
Resources:
ARTSEDGE, March 2003, http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/exploring/harlem/faces/garvey_text.html
http://www.biographybase.com/biography/Garvey_Marcus_Mosiah.html
The Black Collegian Magazine, 2007 http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/35thAnn/garvey.shtml
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
I've always heard of his name but never knew who he really was. Thanks for the briefing.
I'm a bit embarrased to say that I really don't know much about Mr. Garvey. The most I knew about him was the "Back to Africa" movement he fathered. I had no idea he was involved in newspapers. It's cool to find out more about people I should know about. Thanks for the information.
Hi Adriane,
I found your story on Marcus Garvey to be very informative. It is very interesting how he was able to accomplish so much during his live. Also there is a lesson to be learnt here, that is, there is no limit to what we all can do for the good of everyone. Just to mention, Marcus Garvey is one of Jamaica’s National Heroes.
I barely know anything about the African American society. From you blog post I learned alot about him.
Post a Comment