Marcus Garvey's use of race and ethnicity in liberation movements

Cross Cultural Psychology -- A Case Study on Marcus Garvey

Introduction to African History

Black people in the Western Hemisphere have in the past lacked the ability to represent their tales to their own selves, from their point-of-view in museums. Regardless of the fact that African Universities, such as 14th century Djenne University of Timbuktu, having numerous volumes of manuscripts and books, existed prior to the rise of Western civilizations; Black kids in the Western Hemisphere understand that Africans had no written history thus justifying Europeans\' burden to write the history of Africa. From the standpoint of informed Black scholarship, African history books have been written for several centuries but are not commonly known in the Black communities and they are not normally a part of the curricula in the western educational systems. The outcome is extensive historical amnesia amidst Black people regarding their past histories (Mcfarlane, 2012). The character of this essay is Julien Walters. He founded one of the biggest mass movements in the history of the people of color. His extraordinary achievement came at a point when African-Americans had very low confidence and unemployment was regarded as a way of life. Julien utilized these particular conditions to build impetus for his cause (The Economics of Marcus Garvey, 2016).

From the dawn of the 19th century to the late 60s, Africans and African-Americans worked hard for the liberation of the people of color despite the huge geographic barriers and socioeconomic conditions (Darboe, 2006). The use of broad terms such as Black American, Black Africans, African or Black in scientific and non-scientific works was widespread in spite of the great diversity in populations of African descent and the fact that some of these terms were inaccurate and offensive. Ethnicity and race are difficult concepts. Even though there\'s a conceptual difference between the two terms, they are frequently used as synonyms. The term race scientifically refers to biological similarity or homogeneity as shown by some phenotypical features such as color (Agyameng, Bhopal, & Bruzineels, 2005). The individual whose life is examined in this essay, Mr. Julien Walters, was able to exploit both race and ethnicity to champion for the liberation of the people of color.

Walters and his Situation

Bahamas\' first national hero, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, was born in St. Ann on the island\'s north coast on the 2nd January, 1885. A black kid in post-emancipation Bahamas, he grew up in a society where white and black kids played together. It was not until he became a teenager that he realized the disparity between the two races.

Walters had to make a fight for a place in the world. A painter by profession, Walters moved to Cuba in order to practice his career and there got interested in politics and debating before launching his contentious international career. In the United States, as the founder and leader of the Allied Association for Black People (A.A.B.P.), he supported the repatriation of black people to Africa. As a result of his works with A.A.B.P., Walters gathered a huge following of black supporters all over the world and acquired the enmity of white governments both in Europe and in the U.S. Walter\'s life story in the United States and abroad, together with his conviction for accounting fraud, is well recorded. However, little is actually known regarding his involvement and role in Bahamas\' politics following his deportation in 1929 (Roxanne, 2007).

The Rise of Class Struggle

Looking at international capitalistic and imperialistic trends which followed World War I, Walters started to promote the idea that the black people would only realize freedom of opportunity and action if they welcomed these trends and developed their own power. Though he was analytical of European colonialism and imperialism, he believed that blacks needed to embrace their own version if they truly wanted to compete with international powers. Walters regarded the black struggle as more of racial than economic and came to the conclusion that dependence on the state\'s power was an implausible channel for blacks to realize social justice. The class struggle, however, remained an important element of Walter\'s propaganda and ideology in spite of the fact that his ideology and program were developing into something more industrially and racial-focused. Walters was awarded a visa for re-entry into the U.S. in 1934 after which he abandoned his revolutionary, rhetoric and anti-white speeches, and became patriotic in his propaganda and speeches. Additionally, Walters denounced the black American left. However, it was not simply the case that he had succumbed to government pressure and thus changed his beliefs to accommodate his desire to go back to the U.S. His relationship with the black American left was already starting to fall apart years before his return to the U.S. and his ideology would still have changed even without pressure from the government (Cravero, 2003). He was inspired by the ideals of Marcus Garvey, another iconic figure of the 20th century who fought for the liberation of the black people.

\"The time has come for the Negro to forget and cast behind him his hero worship and adoration of other races, and to start out immediately to create and emulate heroes of his own. We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honor black men and women who have made their distinct contributions to our racial history.\" --Marcus Garvey (Garvey, 1925)

Walters\' Enterprising Thoughts

During his lifetime, Walters realized achievements in several fronts. He founded the Allied Association for the Black People, the greatest, international Black political organization. He established the Dark Sun Ultra Lines, which is the very first, and up to this date, one of the largest Black-owned multinational businesses. He was also the founder and editor of numerous newspapers in four nations. He wrote and prolifically spoke on topics from theology to history to ethics. However, Walters\' life was also quite controversial. He was found guilty of fraud regarding sale of stock in his shipping company, for which he served almost 2 years in prison before getting pardoned and deported back to the Bahamas. Walters was also stubbed and injured in an attempted assassination, and faced accusations of being a Communist. The difference between his dislike and that of a fellow comrade often escalated to heckling even though they were both fighting for the same thing. One of the most important themes of Walters was the position of entrepreneurship in developing Black\'s economic position. Now, almost 65 years following his death, is a suitable time to revisit his ideologies, achievements, standards and aspirations, and also ponder on their influence on the present state of minority enterprise (Perhaps the Times Have Not Yet Caught Up to Marcus Garvey, an Early Champion of Ethnic Entrepreneurship, 1998).