Garvey In Lewisham

On Monday the 24th October 2022, Dr Julius Garvey, the son of the late Marcus Mosiah Garvey attended a reception at the Lewisham Civic Centre, South East London.  We were  blessed by the presence of such a great man who is spreading his father’s word about education and social awareness particularly amongst the youth.

Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in the Caribbean Island of Jamaica in 17 August 1887 and moved to the Unite states of America where he founded amongst other things, the Black Star Line,(a commercial maritime enterprise,) the UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) and the African communities league. He was also a gifted author, political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who championed the cause of Black nationalism and Pan-Africanism. Marcus Garvey died 10th June 1940 and was buried in the UK where he lived and worked for some years. His remains were finally reburied in his birth land of Jamaica, and he is now regarded as one of Jamaica’s national heroes. Marcus Garvey has been a source of inspiration to many world leaders of African origin.  
 
The evening’s meeting saw Dr Julius Garvey delivering a series of talks based upon his late father’s work and philosophies backed up and supported by the London launch of Dr. Garvey’s book, ‘The Philosophy & opinions of Marcus Garvey’, this book is from an original compiled by the late wife of Marcus Garvey, Amy Jacques-Garvey and revised by Dr.Julius Garvey for the 21st century. It addresses the problems of identification and self-awareness amongst us, the descendants of those taken by force from our African homelands.

In a morning session dedicated primarily to the youth, Dr Julius Garvey spoke of their responsibilities as the future generation to ‘keep the light of positive awareness burning’ and reminded them of the need to love and respect each other. He also went on to stress the value of an academic education. Being a world recognised heart surgeon, Dr Julius Garvey, retired, has always placed a high value on academia and has expressed, like his father, the opinion that we should embrace the benefits of education and be mindful of our contributions to the world sciences.

Dr Julius Garvey’s visit coincided with the yearly celebration of Black History Month which is held every October in the UK. And the significance of his visit marks a shift in the political awareness of many of the Black people who attended the various talks and seminars. Anyone who has heard or read about Marcus Garvey is in no doubt regarding his views on the state of and our role in this society as we know it.

Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, in his opening speech, praised the work of Dr Julius Garvey and paid tribute to Eddie Capone, a former councillor , and now Chairperson of the ‘Marcus Garvey Legacy Trust.’ The organisation responsible for bringing Dr Julian Garvey to this country.

In what was described as a nation wide tour, the legacy of Marcus Mosiah Garvey was proclaimed far and wide. Eddie Capone as chairperson of the Marcus Garvey Legacy Trust remarked that we should build a statue to the great man, as a way of leaving a permanent visual legacy that reminds us of the road travelled and the way ahead.
The Mayor welcomed a series of art orientated tributes, including a spoken word performance and a musical session.

Dr Julius Garvey met and spoke with many individuals, including Stacy Ann Lee, a final year student studying for her BA in Sociology and Criminology and she was pleased to have a copy of his book signed by him. Stacy Ann Lee said, “It was a great a pleasure and an honour to meet the son of Marcus Garvey, I never expected this to happen in my lifetime,” a Jamaican born student, resident in this country, Stacy Ann Lee went on to say that the history and legacy of Marcus Garvey should be part of any section of sociology within the British school curriculum, totally in agreement with the sentiments of a significant percentage of black academia in this country and beyond.

There is more than a mere significance that the month of October , designated as BHM (Black History Month) coincided with the visit of Dr Julius Garvey to this country. In a period usually regarded by some as a tokenistic gesture to real black history, the presence of Dr Julius Garvey , and his energising statements ,opens the door and clears the platform for serious and meaningful debates on Black History Month, it’s meaning and purpose.

                              ''We Must Take Responsibility for
​                                           Our Own Education''

The late Marcus Mosiah Garvey said that a people without a knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots, and The late Bob Marley sang that, ‘none but ourselves can free our minds.’
 
The book ‘The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey’ by Dr Marcus Garvey is available from…www.officialgarveygroup.com….

                 Nancy May                                          The Village Drummers