KINGSTON, Jamaica – Former Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has congratulated outgoing United States President Joe Biden for his decision to grant a posthumous pardon to Jamaica’s National Hero and Pan-African visionary Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

“This initial redress comes on the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and represents a long overdue step forward  for justice and reconciliation in the struggle for victory and historical reconciliation,” Patterson said in a statement Sunday.

“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,” Patterson added.

He highlighted that the breakthrough follows sustained diplomatic efforts and advocacy from Caribbean prime ministers, scholars, citizens and community, and faith leaders.

“The recent appeal led by our own Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus was instrumental in securing this historic outcome. This pardon represents  a powerful acknowledgment of the struggle for mental emancipation and self-determination that Marcus Garvey championed,” Patterson emphasised.

The longest-serving Jamaican Prime Minister from 1992-2006, Patterson, who is also Statesman in Residence at the P.J. Patterson Institute for Africa Caribbean Advocacy said “Today’s decision resonates deeply with movements for equality and justice everywhere, unity across the African diaspora and indeed, all of humanity who support equal rights and justice”.

He noted that the Patterson institute was among those urging President Biden to have taken earlier action through fresh judicial proceedings which would have resulted in a full exoneration which would have required additional judicial proceedings through the U.S. Department of Justice.

“However, we regard with some relief the President’s expression of his awareness that outstanding legal scholars regard the trial as unjust and a clear miscarriage of justice,” Patterson stated.

Said Patterson: “Marcus Garvey’s vision of human dignity, economic empowerment, and cultural pride continues to inspire generations. This pardon reminds us of the continuing relevance of Garvey’s message of unity and self-reliance for peoples of African descent”.

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