‘Garvey name must be cleared’

The Jamaican Government has hailed outgoing United States President Joe Biden’s decision to grant a posthumous pardon to Marcus Mosiah Garvey as a significant first step in rectifying a historical injustice against one of the most influential civil rights leaders and Pan-Africanists in history.

Garvey, Jamaica’s first national hero, whose advocacy for the economic and social progress of black people globally inspired millions, was convicted of mail fraud in 1923 in a case widely criticised for its racial and political biases.

On Sunday, he was among five people pardoned by Biden.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness, in a statement, said Biden’s decision was the “first step toward the total exoneration and expungement of this historical injustice” while signalling the significance of the day to Jamaicans everywhere.

“The removal of the unjust stain on Marcus Garvey’s name restores the full dignity and honour he has always deserved as a champion of freedom, empowerment, and equality,” Holness said.

The prime minister expressed gratitude to Biden, private citizens who signed petitions, the Jamaican Diaspora, friends of Jamaica, and successive governments of Jamaica that lobbied for the pardon.

Sustained advocacy

Biden’s decision on his last full day in office followed sustained advocacy from several US lawmakers, including Democratic Congresswoman and daughter of Jamaican immigrants Yvette D. Clarke, who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.

Clarke had led multiple calls for Garvey’s exoneration, arguing that the conviction was a result of governmental misconduct aimed at discrediting the influential civil rights leader.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Mark Golding echoed similar sentiments, stressing in a media release that the pardon “corrects a grave historical miscarriage of justice”.

Golding said Garvey’s conviction stemmed from an illegal, intelligence-led operation designed to disable his influential 19th-century Pan-Africanist movement, the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

He emphasised that Garvey’s principles of unity and self-determination not only strengthened the foundation of social-justice movements across Africa and its diaspora but will also inspire a new generation of Pan-African advocates to take up leadership with renewed determination and purpose.

“The decision is a call to action to African peoples to advance the agenda that Mr Garvey was promoting over a century ago. It is a vindication of the principles for which Garvey stood,” he said.

Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sports, welcomed the pardon, remarking that Biden did the right and honourable thing.

“This historic pardon is a most significant step in a process which must continue until the national hero is exonerated. His name must be cleared completely,” she said. “We must welcome the pardon wholeheartedly, however, we maintain that Garvey’s actions were not criminal actions but were acts of liberation with moral justification.”

It is a sentiment shared by Dr Julius Garvey, Marcus Garvey’s son, who said that while the pardon was very important, it was a “step on the road to getting his name cleared”.

He added: “We will continue the efforts to achieve this because it is important that justice is not denied to Garvey. He was a leader in the struggles for human and civil rights, and we must get his name cleared. The struggle continues.”

Garvey’s legacy has influenced iconic figures such as Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela, with his advocacy laying the foundation for the modern civil rights movement in the US and liberation movements in Africa. He served two years of a five-year prison term in 1927 as his sentence was commuted by US President Calvin Coolidge, and he was deported.

P. J. Patterson, former prime minister and statesman in residence of The University of the West Indies P. J. Patterson Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy, congratulated the US on the decision to pardon Garvey.

He acknowledged the significance of the redress coming on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr Day, noting that it represents a long-overdue step forward for justice and reconciliation in the struggle for victory and historical reconciliation.

“Our ultimate goal must remain the posthumous exoneration for Marcus Garvey. The timing, immediately preceding Dr King’s holiday, powerfully connects two towering figures in the fight for human dignity and equality,” he said.

Patterson emphasised that the decision resonates deeply with movements for equality and justice everywhere as well as unity across the African diaspora and all of humanity who support equal rights and justice.

“This pardon represents a powerful acknowledgment of the struggle for mental emancipation and self-determination that Marcus Garvey championed,” he said.

In the meantime, Christopher Issa, chief executive officer of the S-Hotel chain in Jamaica, said Garvey’s pardon will serve to amplify his teachings.

“Many Jamaicans, particularly the young, are unaware of their rich history and culture, and this monumental move will only bring them closer to their roots,” he said.

sashana.small@gleanerjm.com