The following is a homework assignment, written by “Stinky” Fuller (age 13), Brooklyn, NY.
Marcus Garvey was born onAugust 17, 1887, in St. Ann’sBay, Jamaica. He was the youngest of 11 children. His father was a mason. His mother earned money farming a plot of land. They grew citrus and spice trees. Both of his parents were descendants of African slaves who were brought to theWest Indiesto work the sugarcane plantations. Although his father inherited land inJamaica, he lost it in court because he was in debt to his neighbors.
Marcus Garvey liked to read, ride bicycle and go swimming. He played with both black and white children growing up. His neighbors were white. His best friend as a child was a little white girl. When he was 14, the little girl’s parents put an end to the relationship. She was told never to write or get in touch with Marcus. He wanted to attend secondary school but his family could not afford it.
The first time on his own, he took a job at his uncle’s print shop. He was promoted to master printer. He became active in a union and led a strike, but after the strike, no one would hire him. He then found a job with a government printing office. He enjoyed politics, but was not a good public speaker. People made fun of him, but he learned to speak better by attending church and listening to preachers. He spoke on street corners and soon, people started listening to him. When he was 21, he started his own newspaper called “Garvey’s Watchman”. He edited and published newspapers for most of his life.
In 1910, Marcus Garvey went toCosta Ricato earn money on a fruit plantation where he kept track of the hours everyone worked. He noticed that it was dangerous for people to work on the plantation because of animals that attacked and thieves that stole. He tried to get officials to address the problems, but no one would listen to him. He moved toPanamawhere he found the situation bad for blacks as well. InPanama, workers on thePanama Canalfaced malaria. Marcus Garvey got Malaria himself and returned toJamaicain 1912. From there, he moved toEnglandwhere he found work on the docks. He attendedLondon’sBirkbeckCollege.
Marcus Garvey was inspired by a book called “Up from Slavery” written by Booker T. Washington. The book changed his life. After reading the book, Marcus Garvey came up with the idea of uniting all the Negro peoples of the world into one body to establish a country and government of their own. When he returned toKingston,Jamaicain 1914, he established the Universal Negro Improvement Association. (UNIA). The group wanted to found an independent black nation inAfrica. Marcus Garvey traveled to theU.S.(Harlem) to raise money for the group. He got a job as a printer inNew Yorkand he started his own newspaper called “Negro World”. The paper told stories of black heros. Several governments of the world banned the paper.
In 1919 Marcus Garvey decided to show his followers that blacks could gain economic independence. He started a shipping company to transport goods among black-run businesses inAfrica, theCaribbeanand theAmericas. Blacks were allowed to buy stock in the shipping company for $5 a share. More than $600,000 in stock was purchased. In 1922 the shipping line went out of business. Marcus Garvey also started the Negro Factories Corporation. He sold stock for $1 per share. Several businesses formed inHarlem, sponsored by the Negro Factories Corporation.
OnOctober 14, 1919, George Tyler, a former employee of Marcus Garvey, attempted to kill him.Tylerdemanded money he said Garvey owed him. Marcus Garvey’s secretary saved his life by tacklingTyler. Garvey married her, but they separated three months later. The near death incident made Marcus Garvey more popular.
Garvey attempted to set up a settlement for his followers inAfrica. He tried to convince theLeague of Nationsto turn over to the UNIA the African coloniesGermanyhad been forced to give up after World War I, but despite years of efforts, it came to nothing.
OnJune 21, 1923, Garvey was sentenced to five years in jail and was fined $1,000 for mail fraud. The charges were brought up because advertisements for the Black Star Line were sent through the mail. During his time in prison, he wrote editorials for “The Negro World” that attacked his enemies. He also wrote poetry. Garvey’s sentence was later commuted by President Calvin Coolidge, but he was deported as an undesirable alien. He died onJune 10, 1940from either a heart attack or a cerebral hemorrhage.
I found several poems written by Marcus Garvey. My favorite is a speech given to his followers before being deported from theUnited States–
“Look for me in the whirlwind or the storm. Look for me all around you, for with God’s grace, I shall come and bring with me countless millions of black slaves who have died in America and the West Indies and the millions in Africa to aid you in the fight for Liberty, Freedom and Life.”
The reason I like this writing is because he was explaining his difficulties and using his trials as a means to inspire others. In a way, this is a speech, when read many years after his death, seems as if he were here fighting for Black freedom, still today. I like how he seems to speak to us from beyond, where he leads a group of angels in the fight for freedom that seems to never end.