Uptown Notes

Today marks the birthday of the one of the greatest African leaders of all time, the Honorable Marcus Garvey! While vilified by false charges and re-written narratives of failed mobilization, Garvey remains one of greatest and more stirring members in the history of the world. At its height, it has been argued that Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association was the largest organization of Africans in the history of the world. Garvey’s forward thinking on the African Diaspora continues to challenge us to rethink, rework, and re-envision “Africa for Africans, those at home and those abroad.” Garvey’s boldness should continue to motivate us in the face of continued oppression of African peoples globally. In my opinion, there would have been no Nation Of Islam, Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movement or many of the other movements that we lay claim to that focused on the struggle for Black liberation without Garvey. We give thanks for your legacy and take the lessons forward.

Here is one of two known recordings of Garvey’s voice as he breaks down the call for UNIA.