On June 21, 1923, after a five-week federal trial, The Most Eminent Prophet and King – His Excellency Marcus Mosiah Garvey was convicted of mail fraud and sentenced to five years in prison. (1) The trial was clearly a “travesty of justice”, in fact the U.S. government, egged on by the integrationists of the “Garvey Must Go” campaign, orchestrated his false conviction. (2)
There has been attempts to overturn this grave miscarriage over the years. Back in 1982 then Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga unsuccessfully appealed to President Ronald Reagan when he visited Jamaica. USA politicians Charles Rangel and Mervyn Dymally made a similar attempt three years later, equally without success. (3)
Any idea that the USA’s first Black president, Barack Obama, would depart from his obdurate predecessors and include Garvey in his 212 presidential pardons were left unfulfilled, (4) sparking the ire of reggae artist Chronixx who excoriated the 44th president during his 2015 trip to Jamaica, posting a picture of Marcus Garvey and commenting: “This man…still have a criminal record in the United States and we glorifying some waste man!” (5).
Yet the support for a pardon continued, even from some surprising sources, including staunch Donald Trump ally Roger Stone who referred to The Prophet as “one of my political heroes” and that a pardon for whom would “send a signal about equality and justice.” (6)
More recently, the emphasis has shifted from pardon to exoneration for the UNIA-ACL founder. In February 2021 New York Politician Yvette D. Clarke introduced a resolution expressing “Marcus Garvey should be recognized as a leader in the struggle for human rights and that the President should take measures to exonerate him of charges brought against him,” adding that exoneration is a legal process that would clear him of wrongdoing. “A pardon implies guilt.” (7)
Earlier this year the Justice4Garvey campaign was launched with the support of son, Dr Julius Garvey and other activists with the aim of garnering 100,000 signatures to present to current president Joe Biden. (8) Dr Garvey remarked: “President Biden has an understanding of what we as a people have gone through. I think he owes something of his presidency to African Americans. It is time for this to be righted with someone whose only crime was to help his people.” (9)
But the presidential route is not advocated by all. The Rehabilitating Committee of the UNIA-ACL (UNIA-ACL RC2020) in an act of self-determination that the founder would approve of, have declared our right as a people to unilaterally exonerate Marcus Mosiah Garvey on Afrikan Independence Day, 31st Mosiah. UNIA-ACL RC2020 President-General Akili Nkrumah said:
“What we are claiming is the exoneration of the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, because we understand the criminality of the system that convicted him. We want US to stand with the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey and all of his works and deeds and declare him exonerated. We ask no government to exonerate him. We ask no president to exonerate him. We, people of Afrikan descent, we people of Afrika, people across the world stand together to exonerate him. I care not what your particular philosophy is, if it may be different. If you profess and understand the reality of the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey’s contribution. If you profess to be a part of universal Afrikan nationalism then stand on August 31st, Afrikan Independence Day and we declare the exoneration of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. The trial we know was a sham. We understand the type of political system America is.
We are now claiming to the world the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the man who many shaped their philosophies after, who many claim the contributions. Stand with us to exonerate the Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Not by question, not by request, but by the mere fact that we as a people of Afrikan descent, stand as a people, stand as a nation to declare the innocence and the exoneration of our Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey. None deserves it more and we have no more than the responsibility to change and rewrite that history.” (10)
MOSIAH OPENING CEREMONY@SHUMIRA
Sun 7th Mosiah (Aug)
12-6pm
Chestnuts Community Centre
280 St. Ann’s Road
N15 5BN
(1) Tony Martin (1983) Marcus Garvey, Hero: A First Biography. The Majority Press. p. 112
(2) DeNeen L. Brown (04/12/21) ‘Descendants of Marcus Garvey press Biden for posthumous pardon. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/12/04/marcus-garvey-biden-pardon/; P. J. Patterson (15/01/22) Time has come for Garvey’s posthumous exoneration. https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/commentary/20220115/time-has-come-garveys-posthumous-exoneration; Martin, p. 109.
(3) Lisa Williams (10/04/15) Here Comes Trouble: Major Backlash Against Chronixx Obama “wasteman” Comment. https://nationwideradiojm.com/here-comes-trouble-major-backlash-against-chronixx-obama-wasteman-comment/; Jet Magazine (10/06/85) Rangel, Dymally Seek Presidential Pardon For The Late Marcus Garvey. Johnson Publishing Co. p. 13. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=prADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA13&lpg=PA13&dq=marcus+garvey+pardon+george+bush&source=bl&ots=DanuLXwqQ1&sig=ACfU3U3DeebE3croYYaa5o97PGBt2ukWgg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjyq6Cc5KL5AhVdSkEAHfSVBeMQ6AF6BAgpEAM#v=onepage&q=marcus%20garvey%20pardon%20george%20bush&f=false
(4) Geoffrey Philp (14/02/17) Marcus Garvey and President Obama’s Missed Opportunity. https://globalvoices.org/2017/02/14/marcus-garvey-and-president-obamas-missed-opportunity/
(5) Williams. Op. Cit.
(6) DeNeen L. Brown and Manuel Roig-Franzia (08/02/19) ‘Railroaded’: Roger Stone seeks Trump pardon for black nationalist Marcus Garvey. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/02/08/railroaded-roger-stone-seeks-trump-pardon-black-nationalist-marcus-garvey/
(7) Brown. Op. Cit.
(8) Calvin Reid (01/02/22) Black Booksellers Launch Petition to Pardon Marcus Garvey. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/88419-black-booksellers-launch-petition-to-pardon-marcus-garvey.html; Joint Center (31/05/2022) Since February 1, 2022, over 100,000 people have submitted petitions to the White House in support of a pardon for #MarcusGarvey. https://twitter.com/JointCenter/status/1531661500133216257
(9) Brown. Op. Cit.
(10), PG Akili Nkrumah (24/04/22) We Exonerate Garvey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEOofYyq3-0
we ask the question:
Why should we exonerate Marcus Garvey?
1) In what ways was Marcus Garvey’s trial a “travesty of justice”?
2) Why have successive presidents failed to pardon him?
3) What impact would a presidential pardon/exoneration have?
4) Has too much time passed for it to make any difference?
Our Special Guests:
Bro. Ldr. Mbandaka: Resident guest who is Spiritual Leader of the Alkebu-Lan Revivalist Movement and an Afrikan-Centred Education Consultant. Bro. Ldr is a veteran activist of almost 40 years standing, a featured columnist in The Whirlwind newspaper and author of Mosiah Daily Affirmations and Education: An African-Centred Approach To Excellence.
President-General Akili Nkrumah: is the Honorable President General of the UNIA-ACL Rehabilitating Committee 2020. He was previously 1st Asst. President General of the UNIA-ACL. He is also Co Chair Nkrumah Brotherhood. Baba Akili was also previously Director of Marcus Garvey Shule for twenty-five years.
Dr. ChenziRa D. Kahina: is a Grandmother, Mother, Minister and Priestess of Per Ankh em Smai Tawi Ministries International. She is UNIA-ACL RC2020 High Commissioner General of the Caribbean and Central America. Dr. Kahina serves as an Integral and Naturopathic Health practitioner, professor, lecturer and holistic studies researcher with clinical and international experiences in natural healthcare & counseling services, allopathic support, rural and women’s health, psychotherapy, cognitive therapeutics, heuristic education and more. “Dr. Chen” is also Director of Virgin Islands and Caribbean Cultural Center.
She has professional training, certifications, licensures and degrees from Rutgers University (NCAS); Pepperdine University (GSE); University of California in San Diego (GCSF/SS); Natural Health Institute (CA/MX); in concert with numerous certifications and licensure with other international educational facilities. She has worked, published research and presented with many scholars, artisans, scientists and practitioners internationally that have positively shaped her talents and abilities to harmoniously provide service above self. Her life work remains devoted to family, community, environment, living sciences, prosperity, health and sacred wellness as protected with the ancient principles of Maat (truth, justice, order, harmony, balance & divine righteousness).