Marcus Garvey’s Pardon Must Pave the Way for His Exoneration – Minister Grange

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the decision to posthumously pardon National Hero, Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was convicted for mail fraud in the United States (US), represents a most significant step in a process that must continue until he is exonerated.

She made the remarks during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (January 21).

On Sunday (January 19), then US President, Joe Biden, announced that he had used his clemency power to posthumously pardon Jamaica’s first National Hero.

“We now look to the US Congress to take action to expunge the criminal record from the Hero’s name, similar to the action that was taken in this Parliament to clear the criminal records of Jamaican National Heroes and other freedom fighters who were convicted in colonial times for their actions that have enabled our Emancipation and our Independence,” Ms. Grange stated.

She said the pardon is a welcome and celebrated development, following decades of advocacy at the highest level to clear his name.

“The House will recall that Marcus Garvey was convicted of mail fraud in the racially charged United States of America in 1923. He was accused of stock solicitation through the mail to support his Black Star Line. Garvey had established the Black Star Line in 1919 to operate a worldwide network of steamships,” the Minister said.

“He planned for the Black Star Line to provide passage for black people who wanted to return to Africa, as well as to provide a financial base to support the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which he founded right here in Jamaica, towards his goal of rehabilitating the black race,” she added.

Ms. Grange said Mr. Garvey offered shares of stock in the Black Star Line at $5.00 each. Within a year, the entity raised more than $610,000 and owned three ships.

“However, through a series of problems, including sabotage, the company ran into difficulty. To keep the business afloat, Garvey sold more shares. It was his stock solicitation through the mail that led to his arrest and unjust conviction,” she stated.

The National Hero was indicted on 13 counts of mail fraud, but convicted on only one.

Ms. Grange noted that Mr. Garvey was not deterred by the schemes to destroy him.

“He became even more vocal in his assertions of black dignity and integrity. It was through Marcus Garvey’s unwavering commitment to racial pride and dignity of the Black race that Rosa Parkes was enabled to hold her seat in the bus, that Malcolm X was able to defend his cause by stating ‘by any means necessary’, that Martin Luther King was able to dream and Nelson Mandela was able to walk free,” she said.

“Yes, all this and more was made possible by the Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey of whom Martin Luther King declared, ‘He was the first man, on a mass scale and level, to give millions of Black people a sense of dignity and destiny’,” Ms. Grange added.