Fighting the Masses

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“I have an ideal that is far above money, and that is to see my people really free. Others of my race oppose me because they fear my influences among the people, and they judge me from their own corrupt, selfish consciences.” In January 1922, Marcus Garvey made his statement of arrest with the previous quote summarizing his journey as a leader. Garvey is known widely for his “Back to Africa Movement” and many attempts to bring blacks back to power. However, more unpleasingly, Garvey is known to be controversial as regards to his leadership. There was no doubt Garvey wanted to do great things for blacks and had all intentions to create a prosperous future for them. However, some historians had other things to say about Garvey that did not line up with his grand narrative. Scholars like Alan Gray reviewed works from historians like Edmund Cronon that argued, “it is probable that Garveyism stood for the same things that the Klan did,” with counter arguments suggesting Garvey was a human that made mistakes, but certainly wanted to do good. Garvey explained in his own autobiography that his downfalls were molded by his enemies, most of them being black leaders. “I believe that all races have their peculiar characteristics, the Jew fights the Jew, the Irish fights the Irish, the Italian fights the Italian, and so we have the Negro fighting the Negro,” as Garvey further explains in his statement of arrest. Many of them craved his failure because he had conflicting plans. However, a man so passionate about blacks and their success could not possibly be as corrupt as accused. Furthermore, a man so passionate could not be held fully accountable for the downfall of his movement. With appropriate research, Marcus Garvey can be explained...

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...s with black leaders of the upper class. Garvey certainly had a positive impact or he would not be recognized in so many ways today. In East Harlem, New York, Garvey has his own park known as the “Marcus Garvey Park.” He has multiple statues and monuments in Jamaica, Trinidad, and St. Anna’s Bay as well as exhibits in multiple museums expressing his good deeds. Garvey firmly stated in the beginning of his statement of arrest, “I believe that true justice is to be found in the conscience of the people, and when one is deprived of it by the machinations and designs of the corrupt, there can be no better tribunal of appeal than that of public opinion, which gives voice to conscience...” His plans and passions for blacks undeniable aided the strive towards equality, despite his mistakes. Nevertheless, Garvey was left fighting the masses in search of this true justice.

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