“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” - Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Welcome back Dear Readers. This Week’s article is about Marcus Mosiah Garvey. In the early 1920s, the most famous and feared black man in America was Marcus Garvey. At giant rallies, he demanded an end to the racial violence, poverty, and discrimination plaguing the country. Also, Marcus Garvey was noted for saying, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Marcus M. Garvey was born on August 17, 1887 in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica to Marcus Garvey Sr. and Sarah Jane Richards. His father was a stonemason and his mother was a household servant. He attended school in Jamaica until he was 14, when he left St. Ann’s Bay for Kingston, the island nation’s capital, where he worked as an apprentice in a print shop. While working in the print shop, Garvey became involved in the labor union for print tradesmen in Kingston. This work would set the stage for his activism later in life. In 1912, Garvey moved to London. While in Britain, he attended the University of London’s Birkbeck College, where he studied law and philosophy. After two years in London—where he received an education that would likely have been unavailable to him in the Americas because of the color of his skin—Garvey returned to Jamaica. It was during this time that he started the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Guided by the motto “One Aim. One God. One Destiny.” The organization’s aim was to promote among Blacks a sense of self-pride and pride in one’s race through economic independence. Additionally, Garvey was particularly inspired by African-American educationist, entrepreneur and activist Booker T. Washington. His first encounter with the works of Booker T. was at the library of the British Museum, where he read the famous book by Booker T. Washington,”Up from Slavery.” He was so moved from reading the book that he later wrote Booker T Washington a letter letting him know that he was going to be coming to America. Sadly, Booker T Washington died in 1915, before Marcus Garvey could make it to America. In 1916, Garvey boarded a ship bound for the United States, where—as a dramatic and invigorating public speaker—he intended to go on a lecture tour. He ended up settling in New York City, in April of 1918, Garvey founded the “Negro World” newspaper publication in Harlem, New York, about two years after Garvey arrived in the United States from his native Jamaica. Much of the funding came from the famous African American entrepreneur and philanthropist Madam C.J. Walker. Even though the newspaper struggled financially, Garvey remained resolute in his decision not to place skin-lightening and other beauty products that he believed was an affront to the Black race. Instead, he called on Blacks to spend more time and money clearing out the kink in their mind first. In 1919, he founded The Black Star Line steam ship company through his United Negro Improvement Association. No venture reflected Garvey’s revolutionary dream of equality better than the Black Star Line, a mighty fleet of ships that would bring economic power to blacks around the world and transport many of them back to a proud and independent African nation.

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” - “THE NATIONAL NEGRO BUSINESS LEAGUE”

Hello Dear Readers, Welcome Back To “OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” with THE REAL GARRY ODELL BLANSON Today, We Will Pickup Where We Left Off With Our Visit in on Booker T Washington. As a leader, educator, philanthropist and formerly enslaved, Booker T. Washington advocated for racial uplift through industrial and domestic education. He was one of the most well known African American public figures of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Washington rose to prominence as the head of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute where he secured funding from white philanthropists including Andrew Carnegie and later Julius Rosenwald. His thrust into public notoriety occurred after he delivered “The Atlanta Compromise Speech” in 1895. In 1901, Booker T Washington formally incorporated The National Negro Business League In New York. It grew rapidly with 320 chapters in 1905 and more than 600 chapters in 34 states in 1915. Booker T. Washington believed that solutions to the problem of racial discrimination were primarily economic, and that African American entrepreneurship was vital. Thus, he founded the league to further the economic development of the African American businesses in order to achieve social equality in the American society.  Members in the league included small business owners, farmers, doctors, lawyers, craftsmen, and other professionals. The National Negro Business League ended up paving the way for W.E.B. Dubois and The Niagara Movement, Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association, and O.W. Gurley and BLACK WALL$TREET.[ Please Stay Posted, because Our Next Visit Will be with Marcus Mosiah Garvey ]

“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE”

Maya Angelou once said, “You Can’t Really Know Where You Are Going,Until You Know Where You Have Been.” Therefore,We am going to go back and Visit some of the People and Events of “OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE!”[ Please Visit My Meta-Facebook Page To View and Read an extended version of my Bio : http://garryblanson@facebook.com, copy and paste this link ]. Additionally, In Future Articles, We are going to explore the lives of several Black People who haven’t been widely publicised as well as some who have. Trust me, the information I have to share with you is pretty interesting ( to say the least )! As a matter of fact, there is no doubt in my mind that the information that I have to share with you will Inspire and Aspire you to want to learn more about “ Our Rich Black Heritage!!" Ok, the first person on our journey of “Our Rich Black Heritage” is Booker T Washington[ if you really want to learn about his life, I advise you to read his book,( Up From Slavery ), which is available for YOU to READ “FOR FREE” at your local public library ]. https://thegreatestbooks.org/authors/5097 , copy and paste this link . While much is often said about Mr Washington’s accomplishments at The Tuskegee School, very little is mentioned about His Business Organisation that he founded in 1900-1901. The name of Booker T Washington’s business was,” The National Negro Business League. It has been reported that there were over 600 Individual Chapters of The National Negro Business League. https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.2008.20 , copy and paste this link .One of the most notable members was, Madam C.J. Walker. It is said that Madam C.J. Walker gave an impromptu speech on August 23, 1912 at The 13th Annual Convention of The National Negro Business League( google : Madam C.J. Walker speaking while female ) , and then scroll down and tap or click on where it says, Business-Walker < TO BE CONTINUED IN MY NEXT ARTICLE >.