Garvey and Garveyism

Abstract

During the year 1926, while my husband - Marcus Garvey was incarcerated in Atlanta Federal prison, U.S.A. I published two volumes of his speeches and writings entitled "The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey" because no white publisher would do the work. I had to go on several lecture tours to raise the money to pay the Printers, as it was a cash transaction; I also had to proof-read, and distribute and sell the books. It was important that his words and works should be recorded; and at his request, hundreds of books were mailed to important persons, libraries and institutions of learning all over the world, as well as to Senators and Congressmen of the United States of America, so that they could know the truth about Garveyism, the facts that lead up to the campaign - "Garvey must go" by his jealous rivals, and which ended in his imprisonment, and finally deportation. At the time of his death in 1940, three hundred books were left. Knowing our financial position, the Secretary General of the U.N.I.A. offered to sell them in America. I shipped all the books to her, never received a cent from her, and after months of enquiries, was told that the President-General took them from her, and sold them. He never remitted the money to me. \Within recent years I have made repeated requests to the Executives of the Parent Body, U.N.I.A. in America to advance the moneys necessary for a reprint of the books, at an interest rate of seven per cent; but this has never materialized, and no Publisher will undertake same, that is why ''The Philosophy and Opinions" is still out of print. As African nations emerge from Colonialism, the clamour is even greater for books on Garvey. Very often I have to answer questionnaires from insistent Students, Teachers and political aspirants; so in 1958 I wrote this short biographical volume - Garvey and Garveyism, tried to get a publisher and failed. Now at the close of 1962, realizing that when I pass on much of the authentic story of his life will be lost, I appealed to an old stalwart member of the U .N.I.A. in America and he has consented to loan more than half of the cost of printing, and another member has promised to lend a few hundred dollars. Dear Reader, I have related the above, so that you will know the amount of work and responsibility I have to publish this book, sell them, and repay the loans with interest. You can help by asking others to buy a book.