Garvey's pardon an inspiration to Black movement, says Stanley Niaah

By Kimone Witter    

 

Director of the Centre for Reparations Research at the UWI, Mona, Dr. Sonjah Stanley Niaah says Sunday's posthumous pardon of Jamaica's National Hero and civil rights icon, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, will serve as an inspiration for the Black movement.

 

Garvey was among five people pardoned on former US president Joe Biden's final day in office.

 

Speaking Monday on TVJ's Smile Jamaica, Dr. Stanley Niaah, who is also Senior Lecturer for Cultural Studies at UWI, said the struggles of Garvey will continue to right the wrongs of history.

 

She said the development is a welcomed first step that should bring renewed interest in the teachings of Marcus Garvey. 

 

"I'm thankful that the United States...and President Biden see it fit...that at this time in 2025, we have this kind of, you know, inspiration to move forward. In terms of our own ideas of black determination, the legacy of Marcus Garvey lives on," she said, while acknowledging that "the struggle definitely continues". 

 

Dr. Stanley Niaah said it is important that the younger generation is exposed to the legacy of Garvey. 

 

"We have a lot of work to do at home. Many schools, many students, many Jamaicans still don't know too much about Marcus Garvey. And that's a failing on our part, that our education system, you have to wait until you get to a tertiary level or certainly the upper levels of secondary school to choose to learn about Marcus Garvey. This is something we have to fix," she admitted.