Emancipation Park Kingston Jamaica
ONE OF the most enthusiastically sung lines from Bob Marley is his delivery of Marcus Garvey's command to, "emancipate yourselves from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds". While it is generally recognized, if not embraced, that Christopher Columbus did not discover anywhere and the African people did not begin their existence as slaves, emancipation from mental slavery goes beyond the general rewriting our story. In our daily lives, as a people, we celebrate and elevate the very things that enslaves us to positions of pride.
Hon Marcus Garvey,"emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds".
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. was born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica to Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Sr., a mason, and Sarah Jane Richards, a domestic worker. Of eleven siblings, only Marcus, the youngest, and his sister Indiana survived until maturity. His family was financially stable given the circumstances of this time period. Therefore, Garvey's father could afford to maintain a large library, and it was from his father that Marcus Garvey gained his love for reading. He also attended the elementary schools in St. Ann's Bay during his youth. While attending these schools, Garvey first began to experience racism. When he was younger, he used to be friends and play with his white neighbors. However, when they reached their teenage years, they began to shun him. Sometime in 1900, Garvey entered into an apprenticeship with his uncle, Alfred Burrowes, who also had an extensive library, of which young Marcus made good use.
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