On "Garvey and Garveyism" by Amy Jacques Garvey ***

I thought this would be more of an introduction followed by a bunch of Marcus Garvey's writings. I'm glad that it wasn't, as the thought of such seemed like it would be rather dull, especially given that Garvey died near a century ago and much of his writing would likely have seemed dated. What the book is instead if a biography with extensive quotes from his writings and from others' writings about him.

I had read a bit about Garvey in other works, but to be able to focus on him helped me to understand better his importance, as well as the reason that we don't hear about him as much as certain other Black leaders.

Garvey was a bit like Donald Trump (not in point of view, of course). What I mean by that is that he took on positions that were contrary to majority thinking and that were to a degree controversial but in so doing appealed to masses. He didn't believe that Black people would ever get a fair shake in societies dominated by white folk. In a way, you could see segregationists eating up Garvey's ideas, because they would have fit right into segregationists' ideals. That said, Garvey had a point insofar as he felt it important that Black people of the world be given the opportunity to stand on their own; otherwise, those with power would continue to take advantage of them. This flew in the face of forces such as the NAACP and W. E. B. Du Bois, especially because Garvey advocated African Americans moving to Africa rather the integrating and forcing U.S. society to give them the rights they were due. Few people took up that cause, and I don't blame them. I wouldn't move to some other continent just because of the color of my skin; this is where I am and who I am.

As per the biography, Garvey was greatly persecuted. A shipping company he started (to support his organization) went bankrupt, and he ended up going to prison for supposedly siphoning off funds. Total setup, according to the biography. The biography, written by his wife, seems hagiographic, so I didn't feel like a got a fair assessment as to whether he really did do anything wrong. Nevertheless, he only got out of prison by being deported to his native Jamaica.

The biographer gives him credit for much of the African continent throwing off the colonial powers. Perhaps, he was responsible in some indirect way, but there certainly didn't result a single united Africa, as he was pushing for.

All that said, one begins to understand how Garvey could have influence later on on such groups as the Nation of Islam.