RESPECT Garvey: Education

Education

"Education is the medium by which a people are prepared for the creation of their own particular civilization, and the advancement and glory of their own race.” ~ Marcus Garvey.

Garvey, Amy J., ed. The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey. Dover: The Majority Press, 1986. Print.

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The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

https://www.causes.com/campaigns/71936-urge-president-obama-to-exonerate-marcus-garvey

Thank you for your support.

Petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey moves to the White House

After delivering over 11,000 signatures to Representative Frederica S. Wilson’s office, the Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is now petitioning President Barack Obama (https://www.causes.com/campaigns/71936-urge-president-obama-to-exonerate-marcus-garvey).  As part of their renewed strategy, Professor Geoffrey Philp will be delivering a series of lectures during Black History Month, “Marcus Garvey: Human Rights Champion.”

“President Obama is an inheritor of the rich human rights legacy that was initiated by Marcus Garvey and the UNIA on August 13, 1920, with the ‘Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World,’” said Professor Philp. “The declaration highlighted basic human rights, which were finally included in the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights until December 10, 1948. Garvey and the UNIA were ahead of the world body by twenty-eight years!”

The kickoff for the lecture series will be on Tuesday, February 18, 2014, at the Carrie P. Meek Entrepreneurial Center, Miami, Florida, at 12:40 p.m. in Room 1114. The lecture will culminate in a call to action for the exoneration of the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey:

https://www.causes.com/campaigns/71936-urge-president-obama-to-exonerate-marcus-garvey

Join us for a lecture on the Marcus Garvey’s visionary movement which championed the human rights of peoples of African descent in North America and the African diaspora worldwide.

About the Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is a group of activists with members from the Caribbean, North America, and the United Kingdom. Their goal is the public restoration and rehabilitation of the good name and character of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

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Kwame Nkrumah Speaks About Marcus Garvey's Influence

We are petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. https://www.causes.com/campaigns/71936-urge-president-obama-to-exonerate-marcus-garvey
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A Brief History of the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey

Over the past six months, I've heard many competing claims about the exoneration of Marcus Garvey. In order to set the record straight, here's an excerpt from The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Volume 7.

Since then, Representative Charles Rangel has reintroduced the bill, at least two times. 

In fact, on January 10, 2007, Representative Charles Rangel reintroduced H. Con. Res. 24 to the 110th Congress: "Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should grant a pardon to Marcus Mosiah Garvey to clear his name and affirm his innocence of crimes for which he was unjustly prosecuted and convicted." This bill didn't make it out of committee.

This is the reason why I've posted a petition on Causes.com for Representative Frederica Wilson to champion in Congress. 

We, the undersigned, are requesting the assistance of our representatives in reintroducing the resolution with the following change in the wording: "Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should exonerate Marcus Mosiah Garvey to clear his name and affirm his innocence of crimes for which he was unjustly prosecuted and convicted." We urge Congress to take action and reintroduce H.Con.Res. 24 to exonerate Marcus Mosiah Garvey. 

As a result of our efforts, we delivered 11,009 signatures to Representative Wilson's office on November 9, 2013.

If the effort to exonerate Marcus Garvey can have bipartisan support from an unreconstructed Southern conservative Senator Jesse Helms and liberal Representative Charles Rangel, surely President Barack Obama can exonerate the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey?

https://www.causes.com/campaigns/71936-urge-president-obama-to-exonerate-marcus-garvey

President Obama, the children are crying

"Never let the children cry, or you gotta tell Jah-Jah why" 
"Trench Town Rock" by Bob Marley.

Through no fault of their own, Black children have been in trouble for a long time. From the moment our children become aware of themselves, they are surrounded by negative self-images. No wonder some of them grow up to hate themselves. I've seen evidence of this self-hatred in my family, neighborhood, and in the elementary schools that I sometimes visit.

Now while stable families and meaningful work that paid a living wage could curb some of this self-hatred by providing the children with positive images of Black men and women who could support themselves economically, how our children think about themselves remains the primary challenge. In a culture that privileges white male patriarchy—everyone wants to be Don Draper—our children are hard pressed to find positive role models, and often act out their self-hatred on themselves and others. The gun violence that plagues our communities is just one of the symptoms.

Perhaps, the most striking example of this pathology of self-hatred was a study conducted by Kenneth Bancroft Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark. The Clark’s research conducted between 1939 and 1940 on “children's self-perception related to race” became part of the landmark Supreme Court decision on education, Brown v. Board of Education.

The doll experiment involved a child being presented with two dolls. Both of these dolls were completely identical except for the skin and hair color. One doll was white with yellow hair, while the other was brown with black hair. The child was then asked questions inquiring as to which one is the doll they would play with, which one is the nice doll, which one looks bad, which one has the nicer color, etc. The experiment showed a clear preference for the white doll among all children in the study. These findings exposed internalized racism in African-American children, self-hatred that was more acute among children attending segregated schools.

Interestingly, filmmaker Kiri Davis repeated the experiment in 1976 and the conclusions were similar to those of Kenneth Bancroft Clark and Mamie Phipps Clark.

Although researchers and educators have proposed many solutions, Marcus Garvey’s exhortation in African Fundamentalism,” (6 June 1925,) is as true now as it was then:

"We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honor black men and women who have made their distinct contributions to our racial history... Africa has produced countless numbers of men and women, in war and in peace, whose lustre and bravery outshine that of any other people. Then why not see good and perfection in ourselves?"

Garvey went even further by not only encouraging Black enterprise, but also promoted businesses such as Berry & Ross that manufactured Black dolls.

Despite his visionary approach to education and Black identity, Marcus Garvey, a hero to people of African descent worldwide, was wrongfully convicted on June 21, 1923 on charges of mail fraud. From 1925 until 1927, Garvey served his sentence in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary until President Calvin Coolidge commuted his sentence. To this day, Marcus Garvey remains a convicted felon.

Garvey’s arrest and conviction is one of the great ironies that many parents and educators confront whenever we try to teach our children about heroes such as Marcus Garvey. How do we in in one breath engage our children’s imagination with quotes by Marcus Garvey such as “The Black skin is not a badge of shame, but rather a glorious symbol of national greatness,” and in the next breath explain that Garvey is still a criminal in the eyes of the law? 

Of course, this situation could be reversed by the exoneration of Marcus Garvey by President Barack Obama, who wrote about Black self-hatred in his remarkable memoir, Dreams From my Father and quoted Marcus Garvey’s famous words, ‘Rise up, ye mighty people” (199).

It is for this reason that the Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the First National Hero of Jamaica.

It is hoped that Garvey's exoneration will accomplish three goals:

1. In the name of justice, initiate the PUBLIC rehabilitation of the good name/character of Marcus Garvey

2. Honor the legacy hero in the struggle for Black identity

3. Reintroduce Marcus Garvey's ideas of self-reliance, personal responsibility, and success into the body politic.

Here is the link to the petition: https://www.causes.com/campaigns/71936-urge-president-obama-to-exonerate-marcus-garvey

Mr. President, the children of the African diaspora are calling out to you to become their champion and to exonerate our hero—an action for which you are uniquely qualified, as an inheritor of Marcus Garvey’s legacy.

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“Marcus Garvey: Angel of Black Success”

 “Marcus Garvey: Angel of Black Success” 

By 

Geoffrey Philp*

In the early 1900s, one of the unfortunate outcomes of the fratricidal battle between the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which was founded by Marcus Garvey, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which was founded by W.E.B. DuBois, was the further splintering of the Black community—a state from which the latter has never fully recovered. It may be argued that the NAACP “won” the battle. Sadly, the models of entrepreneurship and self-reliance that Garvey advocated were partially lost by the Black community due to the NAACP’s emphasis on legal redress and governmental assistance to resolve issues that Garvey said should be resolved within the Black community. 


For more information, please follow this link: http://www.blackeconomics.org/BELit/MARGAR.pdf

'via Blog this'


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After delivering over 10,000+ signatures to Frederica S. Wilson, the Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey  is now focusing on the White House: 

http://links.causes.com/s/clOoxG?r=bOje

Exoneration is first step in the campaign to promote the values (Redemption, Education, Self-Reliance, Entrepreneurship, Community, and Tradition) to which Garvey dedicated his life.

Please sign and share with your family, friends, and contacts: http://links.causes.com/s/clOoxG?r=bOje

One Love,

Geoffrey

The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey

RESPECT Garvey

Garvey Lectures: A Rastafari View of Marcus Mosiah Garvey & Marcus Garvey: The Vision of Black Grandeur

At 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, Jabulani Tafari, vice president of the Rootz Foundation, and I will be giving two lectures about Marcus Garvey to Dr. Donna Aza Weir-Soley’s graduate students at Miami Dade College, North Campus.

Using his seminal work, A Rastafari View of Marcus Mosiah Garvey: Patriarch, Prophet, Philosopher, as a catalyst for the discussion, Jabulani Tafari’s lecture will trace the historical roots of Garvey’s Pan-Africanism and the relationship with Rastafari.

My lecture, Marcus Garvey: The Vision of Black Grandeur will highlight the philosophical differences W.E.B. Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. The presentation will demonstrate how these differences have resulted in distinct worldviews within Black America about race and class, and their connection to the election of President Barack Obama and the death of Trayvon Martin.

It is hoped that these lectures will continue the conversation about Garvey’s relevance in the unfolding story of Africans in the Americas.

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The Coalition for the Exoneration of Marcus Garvey is petitioning Representative Frederica Wilson, and the Congress of the United States of America for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey:

http://www.causes.com/actions/1722148-urge-congress-to-exonerate-civil-rights-leader-marcus-garvey

We are also petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate Marcus Garvey:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Thank you for your support.

Congratulations, President Barack Obama!

Psalm 91

1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

    my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you

    from the fowler’s snare

    and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;

    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,

    nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

    nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,

    ten thousand at your right hand,

    but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes

    and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

    and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,

    no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;

    I will be with him in trouble,

    I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

    and show him my salvation.”

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Malachi Smith to Perform at African Caribbean Diaspora Presidential Inauguration Ball

Jamaican dub poet Malachi Smith is billed to perform at the African Caribbean Diaspora Presidential Inauguration Ball on January 21 in Washington, DC.

The gala is one of many events marking President Barack Obama's inauguration that day in the American capital.


Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/entertainment/Malachi-Smith-for-inaugural-ball_13383570#ixzz2Hyo9IVrZ



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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

I'm Ready to Vote

My absentee ballot came in yesterday, so I'm ready to Rock the Vote!
https://www.gottaregister.com/

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Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Register to Vote!

In 2008, six million Americans didn't vote because they didn't know how to register or missed the deadline. Don't let that happen to your friends! Share this post as a reminder about the upcoming deadline and encourage them to register. This election is too important for you to miss this historic opportunity!
Here's the link:  https://www.gottaregister.com/

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Repeat Performance: Marcus Garvey: (Still) The Most Dangerous Black Man in America

After a standing room only presentation on September 18, 2012, Professor Geoffrey Philp will be giving an encore performance of “Marcus Garvey: (Still) The Most Dangerous Black Man in America” on October 3, 2012 at Miami Dade College. The lecture, which is one of the events sponsored by the Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy’s Dive into Democracy campaign, culminates in a turn out the vote drive aimed at increasing the number of student and community voters.

"The injustices committed against Marcus Garvey, including the denial of his most basic human rights will be highlighted," said Professor Philp. "The research of legal scholars and historians such as Tony Martin, Robert Hill, Colin Grant, and Justin Hansford will support the online petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey, http://bit.ly/KqUrGh, which is featured at the end of the presentation."

October 3, 2012

Time: 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Room 2151

Miami Dade College, North Campus

11380 NW 27 Avenue, Miami, FL 33167

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Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Marcus Garvey: A New Narrative

In a recent article in The Washington Post, David McFadden while discussing the introduction of Garveyism into Jamaican schools followed the typical narrative that many other reporters have used to describe Marcus Garvey’s legacy: “Garvey was eventually convicted of mail fraud charges in connection with his steamship line and was deported to Jamaica in 1927.”

While the article was fair in reporting the challenges facing the educators, there is no mention of the judicial and prosecutorial irregularities surrounding the case that writers such as Colin Grant, Tony Martin, Robert Hill, Justin Hansford, have revealed in their studies of Marcus Garvey.

It is for this reason that the Marcus Garvey Celebrations Committee (Miami), Rootz Foundation, and the Institute for Caribbean Studies, have joined to petition President Barack Obama to exonerate the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the first National Hero of Jamaica.

Now while some have chosen to view this request as an attack on President Obama, especially since began our petition began during the 125^th anniversary of Marcus Garvey’s birth (which coincidentally is an election year), we view it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for President Obama, an inheritor of Garvey's legacy, to set the record straight. It is also an opportunity for President Obama to honor Garvey’s memory as he had done previously in Dreams from my Father, where he quoted Garvey’s famous words, “Rise up, ye mighty race” (199).

So instead of the same old story, the new narrative about Marcus Garvey would read:

Marcus Garvey, the father of Pan-Africanism, was exonerated by President Barack Obama, who in signing the executive order noted Marcus Garvey’s role in the struggle for human rights in Africa, the Caribbean, and North America. Mr. Obama also addressed the judicial and prosecutorial irregularities surrounding the case, which as a legal scholar, he found extremely troubling.

“Marcus Garvey is a hero for all people who believe in justice,” said President Obama. “Garvey’s exoneration will clear the name of the calumnies that have tarnished this good man’s name and will restore his reputation as a leader in the struggle for human rights.”

800 million Africans at home and abroad are hoping you will do the right thing, Mr. President. Don’t let us down.

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Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

From "The Book of Marcus": The Words of a Minor Prophet.

In the fourth year of the reign of Barack from the House of Obama, the Spirit of Jah came upon I in the "Land of Flowers."

"Speak the word to my people, the lost Ethiopians, for they have forgotten my word and the teachings of my prophet, Marcus Garvey."

"Preach to them of the innocence of my prophet whom I sent to them like sheep into the midst of wolves, but they did not harken unto his voice. Yea, the deafened their ears to him, but listened to he of the "talented tenth" who hast led them into the land of integration, where my people hath not power nor sustenance on the land."

"And if they will not listen to thy voice, thou shalt say unto them, 'Woe be unto thee! For thy fathers and mothers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge. Thy fathers have pursued war and thy mothers have chased after bling, the vanities of this world which are like the wind. Thy daughters bleacheth away their glorious blackness and thy sons weareth their loincloths around their thighs like their brothers in captivity.'"

"Woe unto thee! For thou hast dragged the name of my prophet through the mud for the fowl of the air! Yea, verily for the John Crows of the heavens to feed upon his good name."

And I fell upon my knees and said, "Lord, I am unworthy of this message. Surely there must be another among my brothers and sisters who can bring this message to your people."

And the Lord said unto I, "I have called you, JahGeoff, as you were once known when you were a yute in the "Land of wood and water" to carry the message of the prophet's innocence."

For forty days and forty nights I fasted and prayed and then, rose and to seek counsel of the elders, Ras Don Rico from the House of Ricketts and I. Jabulani from the House of Tafari.

And I said unto the elders, "I am unworthy of this message. Surely, one of the Idren or Sistren can spread the word of the innocence of the prophet. For though I know and love his words, I am not of your tribe."

Jabulani sayeth unto I, "Thou art worthy of carrying this message. For I have known thee since thou wast a yute when I&I kicketh the ball with the I on the Plains of Liguanea. For verily, I say unto thee, thou art a baldhead Rasta."

And Don Rico said unto I, "Guidance, my yute. But let thy zeal be tempered by wisdom."

So I picketh up my iPad and went into the land of Obama, who many had thought to be the Messiah according to the teaching of Joseph from the House of Campbell and the mysteries surrounding his birth.

But there was a great war in the land between Red and Blue tribes, and I took shelter in a House of Garvey that boasteth millions and I said unto them, "My brothers and sisters, whilst thou help I&I to spread the word of our prophet's innocence?"

The elders listened, but according to the Principle of Pareto, many did not.

And some said unto I, "Thou art a false prophet. Our father wanted us to return to Africa. Our father sayeth, 'Separate yourself from her and have no commerce with this Whore of Babylon, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of the revolution.'"

"Google is the Mark of the Beast! And thou would invite us to consort with the father of the lie and his son who hast done nothing for the children of Africa? Yea, hast he not denied our request before? Why shouldst this Judas, for whom thou hast so much respect, proclaim Baba Garvey's innocence this time?"

I couldst not answer them, so I went into a House of the Sadducees and Pharisees and said unto them, "After so many years whilst thou help I&I to spread the word of the prophet's innocence?"

And they said unto I, "By thy tongue, we knowest thou art a foreigner from the land of Marcus, he of the Irish name. But we shall never help thee. Thy prophet is dead and his teachings are worthless!"

And a high priest ripped his garments in twain and said unto I, "His blood be upon us and on our children!"

Shaking the dust off my sandals, I wandered into the land of my people and said unto them, "Surely, thou whilst help I&I to proclaim the innocence of our prophet, Marcus Garvey?"

And a chief magistrate said unto I, "Who art thou?" and curleth his lips at I.

"Thou art a red kin bwai, a likkle browning who dareth to speak the words of Garvey? Hast thou no shame? For although we have given the Key of the City to his son and preacheth Garvey's words in our schools, dost thou thinketh we desire to do more? Nay! For what if the people really listened to the words of Marcus from the House of Garvey?"

"Begone! For from the time thou were a yute, we knewest thee to be a rebel and an instigator. For this reason, we banished thee to the "Land of Flowers" where thou shall spend the rest of thy days in silence and exile."

Broken by the betrayal of my people, all the careless Ethiopians, I lifted my iPad to the hills from whence came my deliverance. For I was a voice crying in the wilderness of the Internet for Justice.

But lo and behold, even as I beseeched my brothers and sisters to proclaim the innocence of Marcus Mosiah Garvey, there appeareth a great crowd of witnesses, lovers of Justice, who helpeth to spread the word and didst sign the petition:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Selah!

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Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


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Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Stop Being a "Political Chump"

Even since I began the online petition for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey, I have been on a steep learning curve about politics. I used to think that politics was dirty and that most politicians were moral cowards, but now that I've joined UP-PAC and met many of the candidates who are running for public office in our elections, it's been worse than I imagined. And that's saying a lot.

I'm not saying I was naïve. Based on my experiences in Jamaica, I've always believed that politicians are only interested in gaining power and once they hold office, they want to maintain power. I've also believed that they will do anything to maintain power. But some of the methods that I've witnessed—the sheer deviousness and audacity of their immorality—are astounding.

Still two constants remain. If politicians want to get elected or re-elected, they need money and votes. Preferably both. They immediately gravitate toward anyone or any group that can get them money or votes. Preferably both. And if they have a choice between an uncomfortable issue and getting money, they usually go with the money because they can always use money to buy votes.

One uncomfortable issue for many politicians is the exoneration of Marcus Garvey. The demonization of Marcus Garvey, most notably with the "Garvey Must Go" campaign and Garvey's conviction on false charges, resulted in the besmirching of Garvey's name that has been continued by the media, historians, writers, and politicians. But Marcus Garvey was never a criminal. 

And if he were a criminal, then Garvey's singular crime was the threat he posed to "white privilege"—the automatic deference that people of color—regardless of their talent, wealth, or intellectual abilities—are supposed to bestow on Caucasians based solely on the color of their skin.

Many politicians who wish to "move up in the world" adhere to the unstated assumptions that are built on "white privilege." They stay away from uncomfortable issues because taking a stand would threaten their ability to rise in a system from which they hope to reap social, political, and economic benefits.

If you present politicians with an uncomfortable issue and have enough money, they may just stick their necks out for you. If you don't, fuggedaboutit.

Your only other alternative is to deliver votes. Groups that lack monetary resources lobby candidates who will advance their interests by promising votes.

But here's what I've seen within Caribbean-American community. To date, I have not seen any public requests from Caribbean-American groups to any of the candidates. It seems as if we are going into the next election, just giving away our votes as if they didn't mean anything.

I understand their reticence. It is based on the misguided notion that we are "guests of the nation" and we should stay away from anything controversial. But if you are a tax-paying citizen--the principle on which this nation was founded--you have a right to be involved in the political process.

This is a fact that has been lost on many African-American groups that are sympathetic to Marcus Garvey's philosophies, but have chosen to stay out of politics based on an anachronistic idea of Black nationalistic separatism.

They contend that Marcus Garvey called for the establishment of a Black nation and that any involvement in American politics would be a betrayal of Garveyite principles. But they forget that Marcus Garvey was reacting to the segregationist politics of his time when African Americans could not vote in their own country and that Garvey founded the Peoples Political Party (PPP) in Jamaica and ran for political office.

If Garvey became involved in the political process in Jamaica--a place he called "near to Hell," surely he would have been involved in the political process in the United States, a country that despite his conviction as a political prisoner, he called in his "Last Speech Before Incarceration in the Tombs Prison, New York, U.S.A.: "the greatest democracy in the world."

Besides, Black nationalism, seeing the world through "Black eyes," and political involvement to advance one's interests are not mutually exclusive.

On the other side of the coin, those African-American groups that have chosen to become involved in the political process have also supported the President without any pledge on his part to deliver anything. This must end. There is a common ground: "The thing to do is to get organized; keep separated and you will be exploited" ~Marcus Garvey.

For too long, African-American and Caribbean-American groups have not used or consolidated their power to support causes that advance Pan-Africanist interests. As Malcolm X rightly said, we have been "political chumps" by giving our money and our votes away too cheaply without getting anything in return.

We have to stop being "political chumps." In order to achieve anything politically, you have to "show up at the table." And contrary to what some demagogues are suggesting, the Black vote is critical to Obama's success. If it isn't, then why are Republicans suppressing the vote in Florida?

I know I have been guilty of being a "political chump." In the last election, I was so thrilled that there was a viable African-American candidate, I donated money and voted for Barack Obama in the last election.

But not so this time. I will no longer be a "political chump."

Any politician who requests my vote will have to answer this question:

Do you pledge to support the exoneration of Marcus Garvey?

Now I know, there are those within the Caribbean-American and African-American communities who would caution against such an approach. They argue that in this election year it could become a "wedge issue" to divide the African-American community.

If anything, Marcus Garvey should be an inspiration to African-American leaders. Garvey and the UNIA laid the foundation for the freedoms we now enjoy and he was a major influence on the political thought of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. President Obama also claimed Marcus Garvey in Dreams from my Father, when he quoted Garvey's famous words: “Up ye might race!” (199).

And here's the thing, an election year is the perfect time to demand a pledge from a candidate. 

Every other group is demanding pledges from the candidates whom they support by either donating cash or promising votes. Or both.

I would also remind those who preach caution that this could have been avoided if the Obama administration hadn't "flatly denied the request for Marcus Garvey's pardon" last year.

So, if not now, when? What incentive would President Obama have next year?

This year, if President Obama wants my vote, he will have to answer this question:

Do you pledge to support the exoneration of Marcus Garvey?

I realize that this may cause a loss of support with some Obama supporters--the natural constituents for this petition--but what's the use of learning something if you don't put it in to ACTION?

I hope you feel as I do and that you will join with me in this:

We are petitioning President Barack Obama to exonerate the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey.

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

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