Garvey's definition of leadership was pain, blood and death

THE occasion of the widely publicised United Nations Conference on Racism, offers an opportunity to focus on one of the greatest leaders in racial justice during the 20th century. On this, the 114th anniversary of the birth of Marcus Garvey, we are once again challenged to assess his complex legacy.

While Garvey's contribution to the anti-colonial movement is widely acknowledged, he did not foresee that his dream of African redemption would flounder on the rocks of genocidal war, man-made famine and disease. Neither could he have known of the predations of the black business and political elites, for whom he sacrificed so much in their creation. Further, his exhortation to black people 'Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will' - has given way to deep insecurities and ambivalence, ensuring the revival of white supremacists values, made even more effective by an all-pervasive electronic medium.

Some of his ideas may have been applicable only to his era, while others may be due to faulty analysis by the self-educated St Ann native, who despite his prodigious intellectual curiosity, may not have been able to distil clearly all the issues he confronted. There is no need to apologise or make excuses for some of his ideas, as the so-called Garvey scholars who continue to collect money in his name, seem to consider their sacred duty.

Garvey's relevance

Marcus Garvey's continued relevance to the current harsh economic and social realities is not through political mythology or architectural relics, but through his lessons in leadership.

He did not have the advantage of colour or education, as was the case with Bustamante and Norman Manley, whose movements benefited from his work. Nevertheless this self-educated son of the peasantry, after being deported from the United States in 1927, was accorded a hero's welcome that the press of the day dubbed the greatest event to occur in the island up until that time.

Garvey illustrated clearly the role of the individual in the historical process.

Although he did not create the circumstances that were to propel him to great prominence, it was to his enduring credit and courage that he was able to move beyond the existing limitations that racism in Jamaica and North America had imposed on him. Like all great leaders such as Nelson Mandela, he enhanced the development of society by transforming a crisis of deep injustice, into a higher moral order. This is unlike the leaders of fascism such as Hitler and Mussolini whose response to their crisis, was to lead their society into a realm of barbarism, culminating in World War II.

Although he knew the power of the written and spoken word, demonstrated by his legendary speeches and the numerous newspapers he edited, it was his ability to translate ideas into action, which made him a great hero.

His organisational powers were legendary, ranging from his involvement in the labour movement in his early years to the creation of the mass movement under the umbrella of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) which was estimated to have over one million members. In the process, he created black businesses and made significant contributions to the arts.

He founded the Jamaica Political Party, with a programme in advance of its time. The restrictive franchise did not allow him to translate support into meaningful political power, but despite this, he was elected to serve as a Councillor in the KSAC. Garvey's movement was also significant for the role that it accorded women, which was far in advance of the other political organisations at that time. There was always room for a lady president and vice president in the UNIA and about half its membership in the United States was female. The Universal African Motor Corps, a para-militia was comprised solely of women. Much later his philosophies and opinions were edited by his widow Amy James Garvey: she won the Musgrave Medal for her work.

Garvey, Youth and Women

Garvey is also an inspiration to contemporary youth, who are continuously maligned as social degenerates, as many fall prey to the worst features of market economies. He was an example of what a young focused mind can achieve. He was barely 27 years of age, when he founded the UNIA, with the 17 year-old Mary Ashwood, the first member, who later became his first wife. He was in his 30s when he was mobilising millions of dispirited black people in Harlem, and died at the relatively young age of 53 in 1940.

Sacrifice and Leadership

The nature of Garvey's work required great personal sacrifices and courage. Garvey's definition of leadership was pain, blood and death. This is in stark contrast to the political pretenders who would effect political change without sacrifice or who simply talk about problems or attach themselves mindlessly to some political machine in the hope of great reward. Marcus Garvey did not have that luxury. The late Peter Tosh once sung 'everybody wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die'. Leadership, as exemplified by Marcus Garvey, unsparing of sacrifice and without fear, has ensured Garvey his place in history and political heaven.

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