By Malachi Kudura
Wednesday, November 16th, 2022, hosted a booking signing for “The Philosophy & Opinions of Marcus Garvey ” compiled by Amy Jacques Garvey and revised by his son Dr. Julius Garvey. All the seats were filled in anticipation of witnessing “Black Royalty”. The event had African fashion, drum, libation, spoken word, and a featured speaker that completed the evening.
Dr. Julius Garvey was born in Kingston, Jamaica, to UNIA founder Marcus Garvey and activist Amy Jacques Garvey. The retired surgeon and medical professor answered questions, signed books and shared his wisdom on matters that affect Black communities worldwide.
Dr. Garvey told the crowd, “Spirituality was the way of life. Spirit manifests through mind and through body, through the activity that you do. We all have to get back to spirit, because that is the one thing the system could not break, when they enslaved our forefathers and brought us from the continent, here to the Americas. They never broke our spirit.”
As quoted on the website digjamaica.com: “In 1914, on the Emancipation Day, August 1, Garvey launched the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). The UNIA was dedicated to improving the conditions of black people the world over. Its motto: “One aim, one God, and one destiny…. He fought for race equality, black pride, and the upliftment and improvement of black universally”. The Garveyite movement inspired many Africans, Jamaicans, and African Americans to stand united under one flag, Red, Black, and Green.
When Tau Baraka (President of The African Redemption Division of San Diego) was asked how he feels about events like this, he said, ”I love events like this which bring the message back around of how important it is to study and overstand those who came before us with the solution. It is especially great when it comes from the mouth of those who share the blood of your hero’s still pushing the message of the past.”
Selah Blak Sol was asked why he feels its important to celebrate Garvey’s legacy. The poet and activist said, “It’s important to celebrate his legacy because he has contributed to the awakening of the colonized minds and spirits with anthropological knowledge of ourselves and our rich history being founders of civilization.”
It is clear Marcus Garvey’s philosophy of African unity still needs to be studied and applied today. We do not need to reinvent the wheel, the seeds have been planted and watered by our ancestors. The title of the spoken word performed by Selah Blak Sol says it best: “Will you please rise?”
