[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1702-E1703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               MARCUS GARVEY--HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A LEGEND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, on August 17th a very important occasion 
will be observed--the 118th birthday of Marcus Garvey. Marcus Garvey is 
widely considered a monumental figure in world and American history. In 
the 1920's, his message of unity, cultural pride, and self-sufficiency 
inspired millions of people around the world.
  In this country, Garvey's message of pride in heritage and 
identification with African roots inspired African Americans at a time 
when we were oppressed by the impact of slavery and segregation. The 
Harlem based movement he started with the Universal Negro Improvement 
Association (UNIA) during the early 1900's is still the largest that 
the modern Black world has ever seen.
  His efforts would be a major impetus in the later movements that 
would free black peoples from the shackles of colonization and 
legalized discrimination. Indeed, his life and philosophy were embraced 
by influential Black leaders of the 20th century such as Kwame Nkrumah, 
Malcom X, and Martin Luther King. He is a national hero of almost 
mythic proportions in his native Jamaica, and was an inspiration for 
the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica during the 20th century. Indeed, 
his praises have been sung in reggae songs up to the present day.
  Despite his future impact, the America in which he lived was a much 
different place then it is today. African Americans did not have 
rights, and were expected to accept their inequitable position in 
society. Many became threatened by the size and implications of Marcus 
Garvey's movement, and he soon became the target of significant 
government harassment, led by a young J. Edgar Hoover. Eventually, Mr. 
Garvey was convicted on a single charge of mail fraud--a charge that 
experts agree was spurious.
  Marcus Garvey has been an inspiration to me since I was a child. I 
was born, raised, and still live in Harlem, where Garvey established 
the Headquarters for the Universal Negro Improvement Association. 
Though I was born three years after Garvey was, deported from the 
United States, his imprint on Harlem was still evident throughout my 
childhood and adolescence. I often met followers of Garvey's movement, 
known as Garveyites, who would preach his philosophy. Their words 
encouraged me to do my own research. As I grew older, I came to fully 
understand the importance of Garvey and the injustice of his wrongful 
conviction.

  Since 1987, I have endeavored to restore the good name of Marcus 
Garvey, and my effort is continuing in the 109th Congress. I now have 
the support of an ever-increasing number of individuals, organizations, 
constituencies and legislators. Cities from Hartford, Connecticut to 
Lauderhill, Florida have passed resolutions calling for Mr. Garvey's 
exoneration, and Rep. Rangel's current Marcus Garvey resolution, H. 
Con. Res. 57, has garnered the most House support since it was first 
introduced in 1987.
  A Presidential pardon is the final and most important step in 
restoring the good name of Marcus Garvey and preserving his legacy for 
future generations. To that end, I sent an official request to 
President Bush this week urging the granting of a posthumous 
Presidential pardon to Marcus Garvey. It is my hope that President Bush 
will take the time to investigate the merits of my request, as such 
consideration on behalf of Marcus Garvey is long overdue. I will also 
attend a ceremony in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica--the birthplace of Marcus 
Garvey--in August, to commemorate the 118th anniversary of Mr. Garvey's 
birth.
  We here in the House recently passed a resolution, H. Con. Res. 175, 
which acknowledged African descendants of the transatlantic slave trade 
in all of the Americas and recommended that the United States and the

[[Page E1703]]

international community work to improve the situation of Afro-
descendants in our hemisphere. That was one of the goals of Marcus 
Garvey--the improvement of Afro-descendents. As we continue to make 
progress on that front, we must continue to remember Marcus Garvey, and 
restore to him the honor which he deserves.

                          ____________________