Government urged to teach pardoned national hero’s philosophy in schools
Published:Monday | January 20, 2025 | 12:08 AMSashana Small/Staff Reporter
The posthumous pardon of Marcus Mosiah Garvey by outgoing United States (US) President Joe Biden should inspire the Jamaican Government to reintroduce civics education in schools, with Garvey’s philosophy at its core, argue local stakeholders.
Marcus Garvey, Jamaica’s first national hero, whose advocacy for the economic and social progress of black people globally inspired millions, was convicted of mail fraud in 1923 in a case widely criticised for its racial and political biases.
He served two years of a five-year prison term. In 1927, his sentence was commuted by US President Calvin Coolidge, and he was deported.
On Sunday, Garvey was among five people pardoned by Biden.
While applauding Biden’s decision, Professor Rupert Lewis, professor emeritus of political thought at The University of the West Indies, Mona, and a prominent 1960s Black Power activist, said it will once again bring Garvey’s legacy to the forefront.
He contends that now is the ideal moment for the Jamaican Government to take bold action and instil Garvey’s philosophy of self-reliance and black pride in the hearts and minds of the nation’s youth.
“No Jamaican Government has taken the teaching of the philosophy of Garvey seriously in schools. We have inserted biographical details, but biographical details are no substitute for the philosophy of Marcus Garvey,” he said.
Major (Ret’d) Effiom Whyte, chairman of the Marcus Garvey in School (MGIS) Foundation, shares a similar view, stating that Garvey’s philosophy is a much-needed tool to help guide the youth.
“If the philosophies and opinions of Marcus Garvey were being taught in schools, I think that we would have a different perspective of the behaviour of our people,” he said.
“The philosophy and opinions of Marcus Garvey was so relevant then in the early 1920s to now in 2025 - over 100 year - ensuring that we as a race appreciate the importance of what we do and how we do it,” he said.
Established in 2022, the MGIS Foundation seeks to introduce children to the philosophy of Garvey by infusing it with their school curriculum. It focuses on areas such as life values, pride in one’s heritage, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy. Ultimately, it aims to help young Jamaicans connect with their history and embrace their identity as people of colour.
The pilot project has been approved for 22 early childhood institutions, 24 primary schools, and is standing by to access 22 high schools, targeting grade-seven students.
“There is no government subventions or anything like that. It is private. It’s people of like mind supporting us to get the material we need,” Whyte stated.
Received approval
He shared that the foundation had sought and received approval from the Early Childhood Commission and the Ministry of Education to incorporate the teachings of Marcus Garvey into certain subject areas.
The pilot programme for the early childhood and primary school segments has been successfully completed, with the high school phase set to begin in September and run for approximately six months. Whyte explained that the ultimate goal is for the Ministry of Education to adopt the programme in its entirety following its completion.
“What we are trying to do is to pilot the programme, do the report, and then after the reports are submitted, then the Ministry of Education will actually approve, and then it is for them to take it from there,” he said.
However, Lewis believes this should be an obvious decision.
“The [foundation] needs to be given the support of the Jamaican Government. The debate is not whether or not Biden should exonerate Garvey or pardon him, or what have you. That is their responsibility … . The Jamaican debate has to be about the philosophy of Marcus Garvey for our young people in the schools today,” he said.