Marcus Garvey's journey to Heaven
Posted: Friday, August 17, 2001

(Jamaica Observer) THE occasion of the widely publicised United Nations Conference on Racism, offers an opportunity to focus on one of the greatest leaders in racial justice during the 20th century. On this, the 114th anniversary of the birth of Marcus Garvey, we are once again challenged to assess his complex legacy.

While Garvey's contribution to the anti-colonial movement is widely acknowledged, he did not foresee that his dream of African redemption would flounder on the rocks of genocidal war, man-made famine and disease. Neither could he have known of the predations of the black business and political elites, for whom he sacrificed so much in their creation. Further, his exhortation to black people 'Up you mighty race, you can accomplish what you will' - has given way to deep insecurities and ambivalence, ensuring the revival of white supremacists values, made even more effective by an all-pervasive electronic medium. More 

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