It’s been over 100 years since Marcus Garvey was convicted of mail fraud.
A criminal accusation that many believed only to be a political move to help discredit the Pan-African movement leader. Later, in 1927, Garvey was deported back to his homeland of Jamaica.
Garvey was the first Black civil rights advocate to lead a following of millions across the United States. Martin Luther King, Jr. is often quoted in his description of Garvey as being, “the first man of color in the history of the United States to lead and develop a mass movement.”
Garvey’s leadership was seen as a threat not only to institutional racism but also by other civil rights groups that feared his ability to lead their followers away from them.
On Sunday, January 19th, before leaving office, President Joe Biden issued a number of pardons. Garvey was one of the recipients of Biden’s pardons. A pardon that Garvey’s son, Dr. Julius Garvey, has been fighting for years to have his father’s name cleared. After learning of the news of the pardon, Garvey thanked Biden for his help. This “will serve as the beginning of the process to completely clear my father’s name of any wrongdoing, which is important to our family and many millions of people across the world.”
Dr. Garvey goes on to say, “Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a leader dedicated to the unity and development of African people, and his inspiring vision from over 100 years ago is still relevant today. Now his meaningful message can be taught proudly to future generations.”
