Greetings pascf and everyone
Thank you for your candid synopsis on one of our Icons and how at that time he rightly choose to address some of the conditions which confronted that generation.
In 2016 there are many people who cannot and will not accept some of the measures tactics which had to be implemented to move forward, especially when it comes to race, sex, class religious differences.
The difficulty with these individuals is they live in a 'rose tinted' world view with everyone is living in utopia,
Question: what would these individuals who claim that they are Garveyites say about Franz Fanon?? In this time period Afrikans need to work with people who have different views opinions, religions, even though they might be'Arabs' Indians, ‘Caucasians, etc When you know who you are you do not have to put up brick walls or live behind electric barbed wire fences, or get emotionally distracted by others less knowledgeable than you- you cannot beat up children simple because they cannot read at 2 years old, its a gradual process, and we have to learn to chane nappies, clean floors, wash dishes, plough fields, and such like every day for many years>>> whilst at the same time doing working with our sisters and brothers to achieve and maintain ourselves and community/nation.
Make no mistake; it is, far better to work live and reproduce amongst ourselves -as Afrikans, 'God' only knows that there are many who are fearful of their colour/race, which is unfortunate, however we need to utilise all to achieve our objectives otherwise we will be re-colonized.
I recently came across a group called –panaafricanists- they appear to have the right approach/method/philosophy perhaps we( I will certainly) should all subscribe to, there appears to be no self-aggrandizement, abuse, disregards, or name droppings who they know, who they have met, etc, they seem to want to get on with taking our continent back from the hands of our oppressors( which incidentally is really ourselves)
This group does not seem to have much 'ego's' they seem to keep it simple and respect each other... I have read and know about WADU, SADA, A-AARP and many many more. Do those people who are infighting ( so it appears in print) that the time has arrived for us all to concretely work fundamentally as units/forces and take control of ourselves and prepare to govern/defend our continent, which at no time was homogeneous....
The great ( Berhane Selassie) Bob Marley once said is that there are many people who are 'educated fools' , these individuals forget that Phd' Doctorates, MBA’s etc are not necessarily the people who are skilled or qualified, many of them individuals are ignorant who have simple passed a driving test, and think that they are great, it is only them who can do analysis, interpret what our icons meant( like some preacher/Iman/Rabbi interpreting the Bible, Koran, Torah) forgetting that the people who are practical are the ones who get the job done, these are the real creative, innovators, shakers, movers , the people who are not afraid to get their hands dirty, these are the real builders of communities, society and will invaluable on our continent.
I am thankful for positive sisters and brothers, who argue and debate nevertheless it is time to 'wake up and live' and achieve our liberty and regain our integrity.
Peace and Love
Hotep
Bro Amun
On Tuesday, 11 October 2016, 19:43, pascfevents1 <pascfevents1@gmail.com> wrote:
Greetings everyone,
We are trying our best to learn and understand the facts of the history of Garvey and the UNIA. When we hear things which, on the face of it appear to be at odds with our understanding, we present our information and ask others who may know more or different aspects to share their information with us to help us understand better.
Please find below some of the factual historical material that we researched relating Marcus Garvey on ‘identity’ and ‘alliances’. Though Garvey did not favour mixed relationships, it also gives a suggestion as to how Garvey dealt with the practicality of mixed relationships on organisational terms. We welcome comments.
A sample of Marcus Garvey’s words relating to micro-nationalism
“... the UNIA embraces [Afrikan people] everywhere; that the UNIA has no national bar, no colour bar, where [Afrikan people] are concerned. The UNIA is not insular; not parochial, is not national, is not Barbadian, is not Jamaican, is not Trinidadian, is not American; it is purely an [Afrikan] institution. When you join the UNIA, you will not join it as a Barbadian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, American, you join is as an [Afrikan]. And we recognise anyone as [an Afrikan] who has one 16th drop of [Afrikan] blood in his veins. If he does not claim to be [an Afrikan] he may stay to himself and we welcome him to stay there; hence you realise, I am here representing not an insular institution, not a parochial institution, not a national institution, but a universal movement for [Afrikan people], that is Universal Afrika for [Afrikan people], by [Afrikan people], a government of our own. Barbadians can work for it, Jamaicans can work for it, Americans can work for it; just as you worked for the Panama canal.” (Hill, 1984, p. 384)
“The programme of the UNIA is the drawing together, into one universal whole, all the [Afrikan] peoples of the world, with prejudice towards none. We desire to have every shade of our colour, even those with one drop of Afrikan blood, in our fold; because we believe that none of us, as we are, is responsible for our birth; in a word, we have no prejudice against ourselves in race. We believe that every [Afrikan person] racially is just alike, and, therefore we have no distinction to make, hence wherever you see the UNIA you will find us giving every member of our race an equal chance and opportunity to make good.” (Mackie, 2008, p. 130)
How Garvey approached mixed relationships whilst organising in Britain
Even though non-Afrikans were not permitted to formally join the UNIA, provision was made in Britain for the UNIA to utilise the ‘good will’ of apparently committed Europeans. During the late 1930’s, European women married to UNIA members were permitted to support the organisation at arms length. The UNIA developed an alliance with them through the establishment of what was described as an ‘auxiliary’. Amy Jacques Garvey explained how:
“Only persons of Afrikan descent could become registered members of the organisation and take part in internal discussions. But most of the wives of male members of London branch were, though English, very helpful in the work, so an auxiliary was formed for them, as they were sincere in their work to enhance the standing of the men whom they had chosen to marry.” (Garvey, 1970, p. 192)
This seems to have been an extraordinary arrangement by UNIA standards. Nonetheless this particular alliance with non-Afrikans was sufficiently recognised to merit formal procedures. Marcus Junior explained that the UNIA constitution:
“… expressly stated that no high office in the organisation could be held by [an Afrikan] who was married to a person from an alien race.” (Clarke, 1974, p. 378).
It seems that the structure of the UNIA was specifically designed to ensure that non-Afrikans could not occupy or directly influence key decision making roles in the organisation. Powerful positions and key decision making processes appear to have been protected along clear racial lines.
To my knowledge we’ve never had a member in a mixed relationship, but if somebody fitting that description came to join, we would not prevent them from joining on that basis. As we understand it that is consistent with Garvey’s response.
Again, we welcome factual information (as distinct opinions about facts or personalities) that sheds a different light.
- Garvey. Amy Jacques, (1970), Garvey and Garveyism, Colliers Books.
2. Hill. Robert (ed.), (1984), Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers: Volume III, September 1920 – August 1921, University of California Press.
3. Mackie. Liz, (2008), The Great Marcus Garvey, Hansib Publications.
Regards
Brother Omowale
Secretary Pan-Afrikan Society Community Forum (PASCF)
A note on alterations
The presented quotes on identity are direct quotes from Marcus Garvey. They are extracted from his public speeches or documents that he signed. Some adjustments have been deliberately made. For instance, the ‘N’ word which was the currency of the time has been replaced with ‘[Afrikan];’ the more vulgar version has been replaced with ‘[N].’ In some, but not all cases, the words ‘coloured’ and ‘black’ have been replaced with ‘[Afrikan].’ Where Garvey has stated his organisation’s name in long hand, the initials or term ‘UNIA’ has been inserted. It is accepted that these alterations introduce a level of distortion. Language, which in any event is not neutral, changes over time and the object, for better or worse, is to give the quotes a more contemporary meaning – one that is less offensive to Afrikan people currently struggling with the issue of their identity.
On Tue, Oct 11, 2016 at 5:37 AM, Charlene Wilkinson <charlene.wilkinson@uog.edu.gy> wrote:
http://www.stabroeknews.com/ 2016/features/in-the-diaspora/ 10/10/hurricane-matthew-haiti- looking-beyond-disaster- narrative/--
--Gnatola ma no kpon sia, eyenabe adelan to kpo mi sena. (Ewe-mina)
Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story. (English)
All history is a current event." Dr. John Henrik Clarke 1915-1998
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- Re: [SelfHelpNews] Seeking further clarity on Garvey, Amun Ra, 10/12/2016
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Replies
I am a committed Buddhist and I am committed to linking arms with everyone on this planet in the spirit of peace, love and nonviolence.
I acknowledge that not everyone wants to do this, and with good reason. This is my vision, it's not everyone's.
In order to realise my vision of peace and love (without sounding like a hippy), it is necessary that African people, i.e. people of African descent, know who we are. We need to be proud of our race and our ancestral heritage. That way, we will not be in awe of members of other races. We will be less inclined to be manipulated or exploited by them. We need to meet them on our own terms - terms that are beneficial to us and to our communities. This is just one of many reasons why we need to know our history.
Brother Amun, you have dropped so much wisdom here. I can only salute you.
Brother Omowale, thank you so much for your contributions as well. Your argument is very informed, as always.
Dear Brother,
On Marcus Garvey, I'm not sure why clarification is needed. There is abundant information on him online. He was the leader of the largest Afrikan American movement in the world - the UNIA. He was set up and taken down by COINTELPRO over taxes. You mentioned you encountered a group of Pan-Africanists (correct spelling). They represent many groups that are and continue to be part of the BLACK POWER Movement. This month is the 50th anniversary of the BLACK POWER MOVEMENT. If you have not already, I suggest you read information on it. Many people talk about the civil rights movement and ignore the Black Power Movement, which had different players and aims. In fact, civil rights leaders never acknowledge or talk about the Black Power Movement. They like to pretend that the only freedom struggle during the 60s and 70s was the civil rights movement. They are, in fact, doing what our oppressors do - rewriting history. For instance, they say that Muhammad Ali was a civil rights icon. He was never part of the civil rights movement. He was a member of the Nation of Islam, which was part of the Black Power Movement. As opposed to seeking integration, the Black Power Movement was about seeking the truth, re-educating Black folk, institution building, self defense, and reconnecting African Americans with continental Africa.
We must ensure that the struggles and sacrifices of the activists in the Black Power Movement are recognized, contribute to the struggle, which continues.
Peace,
Kinaya Sokoya