MARCUS GARVEY and his impact on Black America 101 Years Later

By Gloria DULAN-Wilson

HELLO ALL:

 

It's November 2020.  It seems that all the great things that Marcus Garvey did or initiated was in November.  Garvey arrived in the US in November 1916 looking to meet Booker T. Washington, who had died prior their meeting.   In November 1919 he started the UNIA - UNIVERSAL NEGRO IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.  

This is an interesting account of the history of the Great Marcus Garvey seen in the lens of the 21st century.  The things thar amaze me are those who had the opportunity to see him first hand, and are alive today to tell  about it, and how they look younger than most of us.  And some of those who were more or less pundits or critics and seemed to look with derision on Garvey.

I also interested because my Grandmother (my Mom's Mom) was a Garveyite - so I grew up seeing pictures of him as a kid, and hearing some of the things they learned.  Additionally, as a senior at Lincoln University in the 60s, it was mandatory that each of us write a Senior Thesis - that had to be well researched, annotated, and then presented and defended in front of our department chairs and professors.  Mine was on Marcus Garvey and W.E.B DuBois (duboys - not dubwah - for those who think he used the French pronunciation).  I spent hours in Lincoln University's Vail Memorial Library pouring over authentic news clippings and articles (this was before the days of Google, microfische, and other archival devices - Lincoln had a fantastic Black reference department and repository), and learned a lot of why the rivalry between the two occurred and was encouraged by whites. 

DuBois was proud of his ersatz French Huguenot heritage.  Carolyn Bond Daye, who at that time was a Harvard, used that to blow smoke up his (derriere) and inflate his ego.  He became the darling of the white racists who were looking for someone to tear Garvey down and besmirch him among the Black Bourgeoisie - and gave him the front page of the New York Times and other white papers who wouldn't ordinarily give Black people the time of day, to do so.  In other words, DuBois was used as the instrument for part of Garvey's undermining.  (my teachers taught me that any time whites give Blacks the headlines in their media, they are up to no good - especially if that headline is used to go up against another Black person).  Vail memorial library used to have tons of copies of DuBois making all kinds of allegations against Garvey; in return the whites were funding the NAACP.  Likewise A Phillip Randolph was getting handsomely paid as well.  I remember reading this and losing all respect for DuBois, who actually ended up having to flee the US in the 60s to move to Africa after they tried to brand him a communist.  He later apologized to Garvey - too damned late - when you think of all the Black people who could have been living a much better life had he had his insight 50 years earlier.

The sabotage of the Black Star Line ships arose, not because Garvey was a megalomaniac -as postured by one of the commentators; but because he did not trust light skinned Blacks.  He felt they were so busy trying to be white they would look for opportunities to lord it over their darker skinned brothers.  For that reason, he surrounded himself with dark skinned Brothers he felt he could trust - ignoring the fact that, like most Black people, they had not had the opportunity to gain the expertise required to be accountants, negotiate with whites (they were totally intimidated because of the recent past history with white abuse of Black people, feared reprisal, and would take what they said at face value, rather than take a chance and dispute or disagree with them).  They were also too embarrassed to confess to Garvey they didn't know what they were doing - so he relied to his detriment on these deeply traumatized brothers to be his emissaries and get things done. 

This documentary does not adequately cover the BACK TO AFRICA MOVEMENT that Garvey spawned, and the fact that nearly 12 million African Americans were ready to go; or the conspiracy between Firestone Rubber and the US to prevent him from having any friendly reception in Africa by lying to the chiefs, telling them that Garvey was bringing millions of niggers to Africa to take over and get rid of the chiefs.  This is one of the reasons why the BACK TO AFRICA MOVEMENT, which was originally greeted with much anticipation, was withdrawn, as African leaders began to believe whites over their own people.

I have often said that if BLACK people had been able to expatriate to Africa in 1919-1923, we would have WAKANDA today.  

So, what am I saying?  Look at the documentary, but take it with a grain of salt - because they are only giving you half the story.  The fat guy with the glasses is particularly aggrivating to me because of his acerbic remarks and demeanor in reference to Garvey.  The look on his face is enough for me to see that he is only relating academically, but not realizing the intrinsic value of what our dear Brother was trying to accomplish.

By the way, for all my LINCOLN UNIVERSITY Alumni, Dr. Sam Anderson, LU 1966, is featured in the documentary speaking on the intrinsic value of Marcus Garvey HAIL ! HAIL !  LINCOLN !!

Garvey definitely did have a big ego.  He was a LEO and it goes with the territory - Also, if you don't support and believe in yourself, you can hardly expect anyone else to do so.  Black in the day, it was that confidence that galvanized millions of Black people.

We really need to study Garvey - not from a jaundiced 21 century standpoint, but from the intrinsic values he stood for that we really need to re-inculcate now - because after over 100 years - WHERE IS OUR GOVERNMENT? WHERE IS OUR EMPIRE, WHERE CAN THE BLACK MAN/WOMAN STAND UP AND BE COUNTED AND RESPECTED IN THE WORLD - IN HIS OWN LAND? 

The crackers made sure that no Black man since Garvey can stand up before Black people and galvanize them in the manner in which he did to make AFRICA FOR THE AFRICANS - AT HOME AND ABROAD!

 

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO PICK UP THE MANTLE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN?

This is the link to the Documentary -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75qK3Q_j424

 

PS: GARVEY WAS DEPORTED BACK TO JAMAICA IN NOVEMBER 1927 on a ship leaving from a port in Louisiana.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

Stay Blessed &

ECLECTICALLY BLACK

 

Gloria DULAN-Wilson