Marcus Garvey was a Jamaican political leader, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator, who was a staunch proponent of the Black nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL).
Did you know Marcus Garvey captivated the imaginations of St. Lucians?
In 1920, only three years after Jamaican Marcus Garvey started uniting black people in the United States of America and across the Caribbean, a branch of Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) was started in Castries. During the 1920′s and 30′s meetings were held in St. Lucia to discuss UNIA business.
In October 1937 Marcus Garvey visited St. Lucia, where he was given a rousing welcome at Clarke’s Theatre.
This feature runs every Tuesday and Thursday. It is written by daughter of the soil Anselma Aimable, a former agricultural officer and former correspondent for Caribbean Net News, who has a deep interest in local culture and history. Send ideas and tips to doublea@candw.lc.