“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”— Marcus Mosiah Garvey

The Jamaican society is far removed from that which National Hero Marcus Garvey stood for. There is not much national pride and our values and attitudes are self-centred and grounded in selfishness, which is rather alien to those whose ages are, as they say, no longer on the calendar.

Jamaica of 2023 is rich in various forms of development, such as those associated with the road network and information and communications technology (ICT). But, sadly, the society is poorer in terms of tolerance, respect for others, and a sense of community. Garvey, if he were alive, would not recognise this Jamaica and this is painful. But do we care? The jury is still out regarding this question.

Garvey’s Philosophy

Garvey was a charismatic black nationalist and leader of the pan-Africanist movement which sought to unify and connect people of African descent worldwide.

He was born in the parish of St Ann on August 17, 1887. Due to the economic hardships faced by his family, he left school at age 14 and learnt the printing and newspaper business. He became interested in politics and soon got involved in projects aimed at helping those at the bottom of society. Displeased with his work, he travelled to London in 1912 and stayed in England for two years.

Garvey was convinced that integration would never happen and that only economic, political, and cultural success on the part of African Americans would bring about equality and respect. With this goal, he established the headquarters of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in New York in 1917 and began to spread a message of black nationalism and the eventual return to Africa of all people of African descent. His brand of black nationalism had three components: unity, pride in the African cultural heritage, and complete autonomy.

In 1929 Garvey formed the People’s Political Party (PPP); Jamaica’s first modern political party. Garvey was unsuccessful in national elections; however, his party won a seat on the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC). He believed people of African descent could establish a great independent nation in their ancient homeland of Africa.

Garvey was an advocate for racial pride. He celebrated the African past and encouraged black people to be proud of their heritage and proud of the way they looked. He proclaimed “black is beautiful” long before it became popular in the 1960s. He wanted blacks to see themselves as members of a mighty race. “We must canonise our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honour black men and women who have made their distinct contributions to our racial history.” He encouraged black parents to give their children “dolls that look like them to play with and cuddle”, and he did not want black people thinking of themselves in a defeatist way. “I am the equal of any white man; I want you to feel the same way.”

Regrettably, many of us are not satisfied with our appearance. Mothers continue to straighten their daughters’ hair. The policing of black hair continues in our schools, as students who decide to have afros are punished for this choice of self-representation.

Many of us continue to buy into the white man’s narrative that white skin is superior. Yes, skin bleaching continues unashamedly, even among school-aged children. The belief that those with lighter hues are better than those who are dark-skinned is deeply rooted in the psyche and culture of the society. But we shouldn’t be surprised as Garveyism is not taught in our schools. In fact, civics is no longer taught in our schools. As a result our students have no historical reference for many of the socio-cultural issues of the present time. All of this is strategic and deliberate and we will continue to see the effects not only in Garvey’s land of birth but also in the wider Caribbean and the Americas.

On the 136th anniversary of Garvey’s birth the celebrations have been lukewarm. It is unacceptable that most of the events marking the birth of this important black nationalist and role model tend to be confined to academia. It is rather unfortunate that the average person has to go out of his/her way to obtain information — this is problematic. Is it a calculated and strategic ploy that so much of our history is hidden in texts?

Compounding this strategy of white domination is the fact that many of us do not read. This is especially troubling with developments in Florida, where African studies is banned in high schools under the leadership of Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

Garvey worked tirelessly and encouraged black people to discover their cultural traditions and history and to seek common cause in the struggle for true liberty and political recognition. Garvey’s movement set out to give black people a sense of worthiness in their race and colour.

Garveyism in the National Standards Curriculum

The time to be creative is now. There is an urgent need to infuse Garveyism in the National Standards Curriculum. As the global community pauses to commemorate the anniversary of Garvey’s birth, what an impact it would have on the Jamaican society and on Garvey’s legacy if the Government were to make history education compulsory across the education system.

The Jamaican society is at a crossroads. We are destroying each other daily as crime and violence sweep across the society like wildfire and our potential for greatness stymied. In the past few months some heinous crimes have been committed, especially against our children. It is obvious the society needs a reset regarding socialisation.

One powerful means of socialisation, the school, is the optimum institution to pass on the values and attitudes of a society. Collectively, let us advocate having Garvey clubs in our schools where students can have fun learning his teachings and principles.

Additionally, given that pamphlets are relatively inexpensive, it is possible that government offices could be utilised as sources of sharing Garvey’s values, whereby pamphlets containing basic information could be made available. Perhaps there could be a national quiz on Garvey at the primary and lower secondary levels.

In fact, we should have a National Marcus Garvey Day in our schools, when social and cultural activities surrounding Garvey would take the spotlight. We all can and should play our part in ensuring that Garvey’s legacy is known not only for our generation but for succeeding generations.

In the words of Garvey, if we as a people realise the greatness from which we come, we would be less likely to disrespect ourselves.

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and/or gender issues. Send comments to Jamaica Observer or waykam@yahoo.com.