After decades of campaigning, Jamaicans rejoice over President Biden’s pardon of National Hero Marcus Garvey

Public domain image of Marcus Garvey titled “Marcus Garvey, Provisional President of Africa,” via the Keystone View Company on Wikimedia Commons.

On the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, Jamaica's North Coast Times shared the news from the parish of St. Ann, the birthplace of Marcus Mosiah Garvey: U.S. President Joe Biden, on his last day in office, had pardoned the first, and arguably most revered Jamaican National Hero.

“Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887-1940) was a renowned civil rights and human rights leader who was convicted of mail fraud in 1923, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment,” said statement released by The White House. “President Calvin Coolidge commuted his sentence in 1927. Notably, Mr. Garvey created the Black Star Line, the first Black-owned shipping line and method of international travel, and founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which celebrated African history and culture. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described Mr. Garvey as ‘the first man of color in the history of the United States to lead and develop a mass movement.’ Advocates and lawmakers praise his global advocacy and impact, and highlight the injustice underlying his criminal conviction.”

The Sunday Gleaner newspaper noted that Garvey was pardoned exactly 101 years after he was first convicted. The Gleaner story also praised Yvette D. Clarke, a Democratic Congresswoman of Jamaican descent who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, for her tenacious, decades-long campaign for Garvey’s pardon.

Despite the pardon, Clarke said in an official statement that further steps need to be taken: “[I]t is no secret that Black people in America have always been subjected to a different standard of justice. Although granting Mr. Garvey’s clemency will help remove the shadow of an unjust conviction and further the Biden Administration’s promise to advance racial justice, Mr. Garvey’s family, myself, and countless others across our nation and around the world will continue to push towards his full and unambiguous exoneration…I will continue to take all necessary action to clear his name, and to deliver the justice and closure his descendants rightfully deserve. Today was a very significant step towards victory – but the fight for equity and justice goes on!”

Clarke's statement also quoted Garvey's granddaughter Nzinga Garvey, who said that: “My grandfather’s conviction was not only a miscarriage of justice but a reminder of how the overreach of power can be weaponized to silence the voices that seek fairness, equity and accountability. . . . His wrongful conviction is not just a story of the past – it is a reflection of the work that remains before us.”

Clarke's sentiments were echoed by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who wrote on X that:

Jamaica's opposition party put out a statement about the pardon, as well as a voice note from Opposition Leader Mark Golding:

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is himself of Caribbean descent, shared his own official statement  on BlueSky:

My statement on President Biden pardoning Marcus Garvey:

[image or embed]

— Eric Holder (@ericholder.bsky.social) 19 January 2025 at 14:16

The presidential pardon was the lead story on Jamaican broadcast news throughout the day, and members of the Caribbean diaspora in the US and UK reacted with satisfaction and pride. In fact, leading diaspora figures in the US had been campaigning strenuously for years for Garvey’s pardon. Retired Jamaican diplomat Dr. Curtis Ward, interviewed on radio, recognised those who had laboured “in the trenches” in lobbying the U.S. government, noting that the action “corrects an injustice that has lasted for a century.”

Another Jamaican diaspora member who has advocated passionately for Garvey's pardon, Florida-based writer Geoffrey Philp, wrote on his blog that: “President Biden’s pardon is a step toward justice, but the work continues. Let’s uplift our communities, educate the next generation, and live by Garvey’s vision of empowerment and unity.”

In Jamaica, an online comment summed up the joyful reaction of many:

“This is a historic day for the people of St. Ann, Jamaica and the African diaspora throughout the world. This is also a significant day for people who believe in justice and fairness, and who champion what is right and ethical irrespective of the repercussions. […] Many thanks to the historians and Garveyites who strongly advocated for Garvey's pardon throughout these many years. Many thanks to President Joe Biden. Long live the philosophies, teachings and opinions of the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey. To God Be the Glory!”

A prominent local attorney shared on X:

Publisher Latoya West-Blackwood tweeted a tribute to her mentor, a noted Garvey scholar:

Professor Lewis’ own account has a pinned quote on the repatriation of Garvey's remains to Jamaica from activist Walter Rodney:

The Institute of Jamaica, which encompasses Garvey's Liberty Hall in downtown Kingston, tweeted:

One U.K.-based activist recalled her recent visit to Liberty Hall, and detailed Garvey's global influence:

A few weeks earlier, SiriusXM had hosted a programme with Garvey's son, medical doctor and professor Julius Garvey, who had been extremely active in the campaign to clear his father's name:

Even as many Jamaicans are apprehensive of the future on the eve of the U.S. President-Elect's inauguration day, especially with regard to immigration policy, writer Diana McCaulay, in a WhatsApp comment to Global Voices, described the news as “a little light in the gathering darkness.”

Start the conversation

Authors, please log in »

Guidelines

  • All comments are reviewed by a moderator. Do not submit your comment more than once or it may be identified as spam.
  • Please treat others with respect. Comments containing hate speech, obscenity, and personal attacks will not be approved.