Leonard Percival Howell was born in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. W.I. On June 16th, 1898. He died in Kingston, Jamaica. W.I. In 1981. He was born a hero, a scholar and beyond the shadow of a doubt died a hero defending his race. His parents Thomas and Clementina Howell, who were

independent farmers and business owners, motivated their son Leonard to travel.

In the 1920’s he left Jamaica on a ship to the United States of America, where

he advanced his intellect and academic skills.

 

During the 1920’s, black men and women were living in an era of racial discrimination, bigotry, oppression, segregation and encountered brutality and endless violence. It was not easy for Howell who had fallen victim to hated, bigotry and oppression to stand aside and look. He was convinced it was his responsibility that he committed his life by taking a personal stand against the forces of hated, oppression and injustice. He traveled to many cities and countries, preached among all groups of people to help raise the conscience of the public. He encouraged Black Leaders so that

every individual would work and create a world in which genocide will not occur again. He had the support of many African Leaders and Head of states like Kwame Nkrumah, Dr. W.E. Dubois, Bishop Johnson of Lagos, Benito Sylvain of Ethiopia and Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya and black revolutionaries like Marcus Garvey and his UNIA, added to his political and spiritual development in the United States.

 

Howell became a member and participant of the Pan African movement. After the death of Howell’s father, Charles Howell, he returned to Jamaica in 1932. It was an emotional and demanding experience but it was also critical for anyone who believes in the dignity and value of human

lives to understand that Howell was a messenger sent from the Divine Creator to deliver the messages and no time could be set aside for mourning.

Relentlessly, he traveled throughout the City of Kingston, St Thomas and other parts of Jamaica preaching. He performed the role of catalytic agent in teaching the radical millenarian consciousness that based itself on the doctrine of the divine kingship of Ethiopia’s Ras Tafari. He preached the Ivinity of Haile Selassie 1 as a MAN- GOD ( the concept of God being in a man or human form was very prevalent during ancient times, especially in Africa and Eastern spiritual practices) In the Rastafarian philosophy, the re-incarnation of Haile Selassie as God transformed in the flesh is the pillar of the belief systems and doctrine.

Howell became the most successful teacher of Rastafari doctrine. He enjoined black people to be PROUD of heritage and culture, to have their own “Money” Banks, be self-motivated, strong self-sufficient, where black economies would triumph and to hold high the value of education. Furthermore, he preached to show respect, love and honor. He said, “The white mans doctrine has forced the black man to forsake silver and gold and seek heaven after death. It has brought us to live in disgrace and die in dishonor”

King Ras Tafari of Ethiopia was sent as the Messiah, to free the minds of Africans who have been enslaved mentally and physically. King Ras Tafari taught us to go beyond the height of  consciousness and accept that the black man too have a GOD that is made in the image of a

BLACK man, same as the White GOD is made in the image of a white man, an Indian GOD is made in the image of Indian man, an Oriental GOD made in the image of a Oriental man etc.http://www.lphfoundation.org/about.html