Africa for Africans

Marcus Garvey (1887 – 1940) was a controversial yet influential political activist, entrepreneur and journalist. Born in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Garvey experienced first hand the ills of colonialism, colorism and racism during his upbringing, ultimately shaping his view of the world. His early adult years were spent learning trades and involving himself in political organizations such as The National Club and going onto create the United Negro Improvement Association and the African Communities League in 1914. Three years after this, he would go onto the United States, with the hopes of further expanding the U.N.I.A and spreading his message of Black brotherhood in an “Africa for Africans,” spilling into the creation of a weekly newspaper, The Negro World in 1918. As Garveyism began to take hold in Black communities in the United States and abroad, Garvey faced increased government surveillance and strife as he attempted to branch out into other ventures like The Black Star Line. Between 1922 – 1925, Garvey was arrested and tried on accusations of mail fraud before his eventual deportation from the United States in 1927. Never one to become settled, Garvey lived out the rest of his life attempting to travel the world and continue to spread his ideology; while often clashing with other Black leaders and organizations of the time. A very complicated and complex figure, Garvey was nevertheless an important piece to the foundation of Black nationalism as it is known today.

Amy Jacques Garvey (1895 – 1973) was a pioneering journalist in the 20^th century. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Garvey enjoyed a life of privilege wherein she was able to receive a formal education and engage in extracurricular activities. An accomplished scholar, Garvey continued her pursuit of worldly knowledge and financial independence until 1917 when she emigrated to the United States and met Marcus Garvey. Taken in by Garveyism and the societal expectations of being a wife, Garvey often took a backseat in her husband’s political pursuits; however despite this, she gained a reputation as a great orator and took on a lead role at the United Negro Improvement Association following her husband’s imprisonment in 1922. During this time she published four books on her husband and his work including The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey (Volumes I and II,) The Tragedy of White Injustice and Selections From the Poetic Meditations of Marcus Garvey. After his deportation in 1927, the pair moved back to Jamaica with their children and in the wake of his death in 1940 she continued her efforts to support Black Nationalism with two books of her own, Garvey and Garveyism and Black Power in America: The Power of the Human Spirit.