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‘Black is Beauty’ Caribbean Connection:  Activist, National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey

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By Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer 

 

 

#Jamaica, February 9, 2023 – Born in Saint Ann, Jamaica in 1887 Marcus Mosiah Garvey was one of the most influential Black leaders of the 20th century; his influence is recognized throughout the Caribbean as well as in the United States.

Garvey, born into a middle class family had the opportunity to travel extensively as a young man in the early 20th century, visiting places like Costa Rica and the UK where observed the conditions of the black working class, who were often poor and disenfranchised.

This awakened the activist in the man who believed Africans would be better off in Africa, as a unified nation, with one leader living and working and dreaming in solidarity.

A Pan-Africanist at heart; after seeing the reality of Black people globally and reading black scholars like Booker T Washington he returned to Jamaica and at 28 years old, in 1914 Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League UNIA-ACL more commonly known as the UNIA with his wife Amy Ashwood.

Only two years later he moved to Harlem, often described as a Black cultural Mecca at the time and began to share his ideas with the Black people there.  The idea grew and soon, his newspaper Negro World was born.

Needless to say his writings ruffled feathers and drew strong opposition from powerful groups in the United States.  History chronicles that Garvey became the target of repeated raids from US investigators at the hand of the Director of the then Bureau of Investigation Edgar Hoover.

Garvey would marry a second time in 1922; Amy Jacques, a Jamaican journalist who remained his partner until death.

Marcus Garvey had several specific goals and beliefs that he hoped the Black community globally would adopt including:

  • The end of colonial rule (which at the time was still prevalent)
  • Unity between Africa and the African diaspora
  • The Back-to-Africa movement which encouraged Black people to go back to their ancestral homes instead of settling where they had been forced

After being charged and convicted in a US court on mail fraud charges, he was deported to Jamaica. There he continued his work with the UNIA.

He passed away in England in 1940 and was posthumously named a Jamaican national hero.

Marcus Garvey was a controversial figure not least of all because of his belief in black separatism and while his launch pad for a global black economy based off of trade, a shipping company called the Black Star Line, eventually failed he was a powerful symbol of what black people could do, had they the right means.

He constantly refuted long-held stereotypes about Black people, and planted the seeds of black equality that civil rights leaders would build on in the years following, a true contributor to the black diaspora.

Curiously, despite this burning passion about Africa and its far flung descendants, it continues to stun lovers and followers of Garveyism that this great advocate never had the opportunity to step foot on – that is to say, visit – the mighty motherland, the Continent of Africa.

Today, streets and monuments are named and erected in his honour in the various countries of Africa, including Namibia and there is a voice that will not be quieted; calling for the civic leader to be cleared of all charges as the campaign to have Garvey publicly exonerated, builds momentum.

He is saluted here during Black History Month, where we share the stories of those who have proven that Black is Beauty.

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Caribbean News

New Tilapia Hatchery Slated for Completion Later This Year

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – The new tilapia hatchery under construction in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, is slated for completion towards the end of 2024.

The 12,000 sq. ft. facility, being built at a cost of approximately $574 million, is intended to address the major issue of shortages in good-quality seed stock for fish farmers islandwide.

Manager for the Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project, Selena Ledgister, says the hatchery’s establishment is critical for securing a sustainable fisheries sector.

“Construction is on in earnest and we are looking before the year is out – which would be by around September or October – to complete the building part of it. The Project will be supporting the purchase and installation of the recirculating aquaculture system. This system will provide over five million advanced fries (young fish) per year, using the recirculating aquaculture system,” she told JIS News.

The bio-secure climate-resilient modular hatchery, being developed in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will feature a solar standby generator, plumbing system, rehabilitated guard host and administrative building.

Mrs. Ledgister said the hatchery, to be built and operated under environmentally friendly conditions, will impact the lives of fish farmers islandwide.

“I believe we have over 120 aquaculture farmers, and that number is growing; so, this will benefit the industry significantly. The hatchery is also expected to cushion the demand for fish. Fish farmers will also get the supply of advanced fries to restock their ponds. This is a significant impact that the Climate Resilience Project, as well as JSIF, will be creating for the Jamaican fish farmers,” she said.

 

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS

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Trust Fund for Poor Children Born On or After August 6, 2022

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – Children born on or after the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, who are wards of the State or beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be eligible for the Jamaica 60 HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment) For Children Trust Fund.

Jamaica celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on August 6, 2022.

In his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 21, Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, said the purpose of the Fund is to help to close the wealth gap and address the issue of intergenerational poverty by creating a trust account specifically catered to vulnerable children.

“The HOPE for Children Trust Fund will provide each eligible child with a long-term savings account funded through annual contributions from the Government. Parents, guardians or other donors will also be able to make deposits into the account for the future benefit of any specific child,” Mr. Holness said.

The accumulated funds, including interest, will be accessible on or after the child’s 18th birthday, for specific purposes such as education, purchase of a home or commercial property or investment in a business.

“The central idea behind the programme is to provide children with a lump sum to start them in life upon attaining adulthood. Our initial target is a lump sum of between $600,000 and $800,000, to be available on the 18th birthday of any eligible child,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that the Government will also explore alternatives to establish and manage the Fund, adding that it could form part of the National Insurance Fund or be administered by private insurance companies.

“This is, I believe, a ground-breaking initiative to truly grapple with inequality in the society. From a historical perspective, there are many households who have no endowment in Jamaica, meaning that they can’t look towards anything bequeathed to them from their family. There is no asset being passed down to them from generation. The only way that they are able to create any wealth is through their labour, through the dint of their effort – literally pulling themselves up by their bootstraps,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that as the economy grows, the Government has a responsibility to take instrumental and decisive steps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and correct structural inequalities.

“The intention here is great, the amount may be considered small, but it is the first step in the right direction to truly create a more equitable society,” Mr. Holness said.

 

Contact: Judana Murphy

Release: JIS

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Port Royal Museum to Open in May

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 26, 2024 – The long-awaited Port Royal Museum is expected to be opened in May of this year, with the first exhibit set to be unveiled at the event.

Construction of the two-storey facility, which will be the first fit-for-purpose museum erected in Jamaica, was done at a cost of $788 million with funding from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Major work on the building was completed in December 2023, with finishing touches and furnishings left to be done.

Director of the National Museum Jamaica (NMJ), Dr. Jonathan Greenland, told JIS News in an interview that the new museum will replace the older and much smaller facility at Fort Charles.

“It didn’t touch all the subject areas… so we lobbied for the Port Authority to collaborate with us and develop a museum in Port Royal, and so they’ve actually constructed a huge building with restaurant facilities, lots of parking, multifunctional space and meeting rooms, shops and everything that a modern museum should have,” he said.

The museum will also be fully accessible to members of the disabled community with wheelchair ramps and an elevator.

Dr. Greenland added that the location of the museum is also of notable significance to the history of the sunken city.

“Right on the spot where the museum is going to be, there was a rebellion of the enslaved workers from the dockyard. The leader of the rebellion or uprising was a skilled bricklayer and when you look at the walls around the whole area where the dockyard used to be, he was probably involved in building that,” he said.

He further pointed out that the museum will present a new opportunity for the NMJ to attract even more visitors and facilitate cultural tourism.

“We’re very excited…. and you know Port Royal is a very interesting place and the history is fascinating. We always had loads of visitors from all around the world without doing any marketing whatsoever, and this is going to be a whole different level of merchandising, marketing and tourism. This is fascinating history and it’s going to be quite dramatic,” Dr. Greenland told JIS News.

 

Contact : Jermi-Lee Nelson

Release : JIS

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