Mini Park to be Established in Hartford in Memory of Marcus Garvey

Ground was broken for a mini park in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, on September 30, in memory of National Hero, the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey.
Members of an organization calling itself the International Foundation for the Exoneration of Marcus Mosiah Garvey (IFEMMG), of Hartford, joined with local, city and state elected officials, business and community leaders for the ceremony on the site of the new facility at the busy intersection of Granby and Cornwall Streets.
When completed in approximately six months, the facility will be known as Marcus Garvey Place. It will have a flower garden, park benches and chairs and a monument dedicated to the first National Hero of Jamaica.
The ceremony was highlighted by the symbolic turning of the soil by Dr. Julius Garvey, son of the national hero; the ringing of the freedom bell by a group of students from the Hartford community, and drumming by the Jah Wuks International ensemble.
“The event today is a true indication of the hard work and dedication of the committee and the community. It is saying to us that we should continue to push for his exoneration. What you are seeing is a total community effort to make this happen and it is going to happen,” Foundation Chairman and Jamaican, Dermoth Brown said.
Mayor of the city of Hartford, Eddie Perez who supported and praised the initiative, said that, “Marcus Garvey was an international hero who stood up for cultural pride, self determination and entrepreneurship. I encourage all of you to stand for those same principles and give back to your community. I also encourage all of you to get involved in the lives of our youth, because they will be the leaders of tomorrow”.
Marcus Garvey was deported from the US after being jailed in 1925 for what many described as a ‘trumped up’ charge of a single count of mail fraud.
In a letter to the Foundation congratulating it for keeping the spotlight on Mr. Garvey, US Congressman Charles Rangel, who is sponsoring a Bill asking the US Congress for pardon, noted that, “the public is becoming educated about the historic significance of Garvey and the injustice that was perpetuated against him”.
Dr. Garvey said that his late father, “sought to uplift the entire black race by giving us a vision and a plan which we need to understand. The vision is not yet accomplished. We have got to finish the job he started in the 1920s”.
In a message recognizing the milestone event, Consul General of Jamaica, Dr. Basil K. Bryan assured the audience that the importance of the ceremony would not be lost in the overall efforts to have Garvey’s name stricken from the records of the US penal system.
“In recent months, we have turned up the volume throughout the African Diaspora. From Jamaica House to the White House, the dots are being connected, however slowly. We must sustain the agitation. We must speak with one voice. It is time for Marcus Garvey’s name to be cleared from what appears to be a politically and racially motivated charge of one count of mail fraud,” Dr. Bryan said.
A three-mile, 20 block stretch of Granby Street between Western Park Way and the Bloomfield town line, in a community where many Jamaicans live, is being co-named Marcus Garvey Way. Marcus Garvey Place, which is expected to cost some US$35,000, upon completion, will be cared for by students from the nearby Weaver High School.