PHILIPSBURG–The general public is invited to come and listen to three speakers at the WIFOL Building in Philipsburg, tonight, Friday, August 17, 7:00pm to 9:00pm. The topic is the life and legacy of Marcus Garvey. Today marks 131 years since his birth in St. Anne’s Bay, Jamaica. Garvey passed away in London at the age of 52, after two strokes.
Garvey’s impact has been widespread, having influenced the Rastafarian Movement and the Civil Rights Movement of the United States as well as in Africa, Europe and South America. Martin Luther King Jr. stated that Garvey “was the first man of colour to lead and develop a mass movement. He was the first man on a mass scale and level to give millions of Negroes a sense of dignity and destiny and to make the Negro feel he was somebody.” Jamaica named him the first National Hero of that nation.
Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914 in Kingston Jamaica. Initially with only a few members, UNIA grew to more than 8 million followers by August 1925. It had more than 900 branches in 40 different countries. The phenomenal growth of the UNIA was due in part not only to Garvey’s genius and magnetic personality, but also to the principles of the UNIA which focused on empowerment and self-worth.
Speakers at the Marcus Garvey Tribute will be the Jamaican poet Ras Takura who will speak on the reality of what we eat and Emilio Kalmera will be speaking on the economic dimension of Garvey’s legacy. Additionally, Theophilus Thompson will be speaking on the life and times of Marcus Garvey and how his legacy carries on today. There is no charge to attend this cultural evening and all are encouraged to attend.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/79663-public-invited-to-19th-annual-marcus-garvey-tribute-today
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