Marcus Mosiah Garvey


Born in 1887, Marcus Mosiah Garvey was one of the first of Jamaica's national heroes, a powerful orator, leader and activist, who went on to found the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

It was Garvey who supposedly initially prophecied the crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, the fulfilment of which inspired the Rastafarian movement, hence to this day Garvey is also hailed as a prophet, often being mentioned in the same breath as some of the ancient figures of the Old Testament.

Indeed, his remarkable skills of leadership earned him the affectionate name of 'Black Moses' ('Mosiah' seems to be a combination of 'Moses' and 'Messiah', both originally Hebrew words). Just as Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt and pointed the way across the Jordan to the Promised Land though he never reached it himself, Garvey encouraged the repatriation of Blacks 'Back to Africa'.

Taking this idea very seriously, Garvey organised the so-called Black Star Line Steamship Corporation, to take people across the Atlantic Ocean. Sadly, he was arrested under charges of fraud. He later died penniless in London in 1940.

For biographical information about Garvey, try the following:
http://www.marcusgarveylibrary.org.uk/biography.htm

Marcus Garvey Official Site

Speeches of Marcus Garvey:
http://www.isop.ucla.edu/africa/mgpp/



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