How has the Parish of St. Ann shaped the Country of Jamaica and the Caribbean at Large?
St.
Ann is known as the garden parish, but this parish is the birthplace of
Jamaica’s first national hero, Marcus Garvey, who has contributed a lot to the
independence of black people. Now in this blog, we will be discussing how the
parish of St. Ann shaped Jamaica and the Caribbean at large, since Garvey was
born in this parish and he has accomplished so many things in his life that
have impacted Jamaica, the Caribbean, and even the world.
Marcus
Mosiah Garvey was born on August 17, 1887, in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, to Marcus
Garvey Sr. and Sarah Jane Richards. His dad was a stonemason, and his mom was a
domestic worker. However, the couple had 11 children; luckily, Marcus and
others made it into adulthood. Garvey went to school in Jamaica until he was
14, when he left St. Ann's Bay for Kingston, the country's capital, where he
worked in a print shop. He later said he first experienced racism in grade
school in Jamaica, essentially from white educators. While working in the print
shop, Garvey became involved in the labor union for print tradesmen in
Kingston. This work set the stage for his activism later in life. Garvey spent
time in Central America, where he had relatives, before moving to London in
1912. While in Britain, he attended the University of London’s Birkbeck
College, where he studied law and philosophy (History.com Editors, 2021).
During
his career, Garvey voyaged broadly all through numerous nations, noticing the
unfortunate working and everyday environments of individuals of color or African
descent were always at the lower level of social stratification. In 1914, he
began the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Jamaica. The UNIA,
which developed into a global association, supported self-government for
individuals of color around the world, self-improvement financial tasks, and
dissent against racial separation. Hence, why Garvey was known as the pioneer
behind the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The UNIA intended to
accomplish black patriotism through the festival of African history and
culture. Garvey also pushed for the "back to Africa" movement through
the UNIA and established the Black Star Line as the black-owned traveler line
that would transport supporters to and from Africa. He also developed
restaurants and shopping malls to boost his financial independence. Despite his
support for Pan-Africanism, Marcus Garvey was a black patriot who put an end to
racial dissent. This made him a suspect member of the Black people group,
especially since he tested positive for the naturally suspected pioneer W.E.B.
Du Bios (National Archives, 2020). In 1916, Garvey went to the USA, where he
spoke about his principle of opportunity to the mistreated blacks all over the
country. In this case, US authorities objected to his exercises, and he was
detained and then deported. Back in Jamaica in 1927, he continued with his
political action, forming the People's Political Party in 1929. He was
fruitless in public races but won a seat on the Kingston and St. Andrew
Corporation (KSAC) (History.com Editors, 2021).
Photo by: bestofforever-https://www.bestofforever.com/wp-content/uploads/Marcus-Garvey-Quotes-On-Education-1.jpg
Now,
how has Marcus Garvey influenced or shaped Jamaica and the Caribbean at large?
What
did Marcus Garvey do to shape Jamaica and the Caribbean? Even though Marcus
Garvey came from a less wealthy background, he had that mindset that he would
overcome challenges and be the great man that he was. The Caribbean and Jamaica
have a history of oppression and racism because we have been captured by the
English and the Spanish, and oftentimes, we didn't have a voice for ourselves
because we were being discriminated against based on our race or class. Marcus
Garvey came in with this organization, and it gave us black people a voice to
stand up for our rights and do the things we wanted to do without being labeled
based on our race. We have a voice, and we have freedom because of Marcus
Garvey. I leave with you a quote by Marcus Garvey. It states, "Emancipate
yourself from mental slavery." No one but ourselves can free our minds.
So, this quote is saying that it is up to us to free ourselves from mental
slavery. There is nobody else. So, when we, as black people today, face
oppression, we just have to fight the oppression that we may face and take into
consideration all the things that Marcus Garvey has done for us.
NB
Information may be limited because these events were not documented.
A
summary of what was done
Marcus
Garvey was a Jamaican-born black patriot who led the Pan-Africanism movement,
which sought to unite and connect people of African descent all over the world.
In the United States, he was a prominent social equality extremist who
established the Negro World paper, a delivery organization called Black Star
Line, and the Universal Negro Improvement Association, or UNIA, a brotherly
association of dark patriots. Collectively, they supported "separate but
equivalent" status for people of African heritage, and as such, they
looked to lay out free black states all over the planet, eminently in Liberia,
on the west shoreline of Africa (History.com Editors,
2021).
There are some videos attached below about Marcus Garvey's contribution. You may view them and leave your comments and thoughts.
Black History in Two Minutes or so. (2020, October 23). Marcus Garvey: Leader of a Revolutionary Global Movement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jbjiv4I0oY
History. (2016, January 5). Marcus Garvey: Black Nationalism - Fast Facts | History [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrNCMSODtyw&t=41s
History.com Editors. (2021, January 26). Marcus Garvey. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/marcus-garvey?msclkid=b9bf2199c18711ec817fe09103b16aee
National Archives. (2020, September 15). Marcus Garvey (August 17, 1887 - June 10, 1940). https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/individuals/marcus-garvey?msclkid=b9bdc0c5c18711ecabbecec7e61235ad
What a fascinating blog! Shania I knew Garvey was a national hero, but I had no idea what he had accomplished... Thank you for making the videos available. Those videos helped me learn more about Marcus Garvey.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely blog. I learned more about marcus garvey and what he accomplished. Whoever made this blog. Must have spend alot of time on this blog.
ReplyDeleteWe black people live in peace and harmony because to Marcus Garvey. Look at the achievements of this national hero, who was born in St. Ann. Thank you for posting those videos. They were both entertaining and educational to see. Shania, I learned so much. Thank you very much.
ReplyDelete