The following is an edited version of a speech given by Jamaica’s ambassador to the United States of America, Stephen Vasciannie, at a function at the Jamaican Embassy in Washington, DC, on July 17, 2014 to mark the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Universal Negro Improvement Association by National Hero Marcus Garvey.

MARCUS Garvey is Jamaica’s first named national Hero. And, in terms of overall impact in the world, it is also fair to say that he is Jamaica’s best known and most influential national hero. Why is this so? What are some of the considerations that cause Jamaicans and others to hold Marcus Garvey in such reverence, to regard him with so much respect internationally?

The short answer may be found in the special combination of vision and commitment that Marcus Garvey presented to the world during his 52 years, between 1887 and 1940. His vision and commitment created a magnificent whirlwind on behalf of the poor and the dispossessed, and because he stood firmly for the rights of all black people, at home or abroad, under the special banner, ‘One God, One Aim, One Destiny’.

I have referred to vision and commitment. What was the vision? In brief, Marcus Garvey defended the rights of black people at a time when we were called upon to face the daily realities of racial oppression and, in some places, legally sanctioned segregation.

Dignity and Destiny

Garvey engaged in the racial debate, pointed to the injustice inherent in ideas of racial superiority, and stood up against the social structures that confined black people to inferior status. But, in addition to talking the talk, Garvey also walked the walk; for his commitment to the struggle for racial equality lasted throughout his life. On a visit to Jamaica in 1964, another international icon, Martin Luther King Jr, put the matter this way:

“(Marcus Garvey was) the first man of colour to lead and develop a mass movement. He was the first of many on a mass scale and level to give millions of negroes a sense of dignity and destiny. And to make the negro feel he was somebody.”

Garvey’s vision also combined black nationalism and pan-Africanism. With respect to the former, he sought to develop economic and social relations among members of the black diaspora. And, as a Pan-Africanist, he promoted the idea of unity among members of the African diaspora, as well as between members of the African diaspora and denizens of the African continent.

This pan-Africanist perspective helps to explain the name and the foundation of the UNIA. In Current History magazine for 1923, Garvey wrote:

“Where did the name of the organisation come from? It was while speaking to a West Indian negro who was a passenger with me from Southampton, who was returning home to the East Indies from Basutoland with his Basuto wife, I further learned of the horrors of native life in Africa.

“He related to me in conversation such horrible and pitiable tales that my heart bled within me…. All day and the following night I pondered over the subject matter of that conversation, and at midnight, lying flat on my back, the vision and thought came to me that I should name the organisation the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities (Imperial) League. Such a name I thought would embrace the purposes of all black humanity.”

Commitment and Ambition

The elements of Garvey’s vision were constructed upon a foundation of commitment, entrepreneurial instincts, hard work, and organisational ambition. Consider that within five years of the establishment of the UNIA, the organisation had membership in excess of two million people. By 1920, the UNIA had some 1,900 divisions in more than 40 countries.

Consider also the various institutional initiatives pursued by Garvey within the United States, Jamaica, and in other countries. In addition to the UNIA, these include the People’s Political Party, the Black Cross Nurses, the Universal African Legion, the Black Eagle Flying Corps, the Black Star Line Shipping Company, the Edelweiss Amusement Company, the Black Cross Trading and Navigation Corporation, and the Negro Factories Corporation.

And again, in the field of publishing, among the newspapers under the hand of Garvey must be included The Negro World, and The Black Man. The entrepreneurial instincts were also reflected in the purchase of numerous Liberty Halls in various parts of the world.

Garvey, then, was a conscientious man of words, who sought to give effective institutional form to the struggle for racial equality.

Legacy

Garvey’s legacy to Jamaica and the world is significant and multifaceted — much of it being felt at the psychological level. Much of Garvey’s work must also be assessed in light of its historical context, which illuminates the quality of his determination, oratory, energy, and resistance to a whole range of challenges presented by rivals and others.

But Garvey must also be understood in today’s world: this latter understanding, I daresay, should cause us to reflect on challenges yet to be overcome in the many societies that have come under the influence of our great national hero.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the UNIA by the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, I have great pleasure in acknowledging the continued work of the UNIA in the United States of America and beyond. You are the torchbearers of a vital and historic vision.

As you consider projects to assist others, and as you continue to carry Garvey’s message to the world, may your efforts be crowned with social and economic success. As the Jamaican pledge recommends, may you continue to play your part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race.