Politics

Jamaica’s Prime Minister May Request Exoneration of Garvey When She Meets President Obama in Kingston

Published

11 years ago

April 8, 2015

Oakland Post

Jamaica Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller (Collin Reid/AP Photo)

by Tony Best
Special to the NNPA from the New York Carib News

When U.S. President Barack Obama and Portia Simpson-Miller, Jamaica’s leader, meet in Kingston next Thursday, the legacy and the name of Marcus Mosiah Garvey as seen through American and Jamaican eyes may be put on the table for discussion.

The issue may be put there by Simpson-Miller, Jamaica’s Prime Minister, and what may be at stake is a pardon or exoneration for Garvey, a Jamaican national hero who spent more than a dozen years in the United States where he led the largest economic and social mass movement of Blacks in the first half of the 20th century. Garvey advocated economic independence and positive self-awareness for millions of Blacks. At the same time he encouraged a positive cultural identity and self-determination for people of color. However, his message stirred Black and white critics whose complaints and allegations triggered a federal investigation that culminated in a conviction on federal mail fraud charges which many independent legal analysts and Garvey supporters insist to this day were trumped up and therefore didn’t have any basis in fact.

The issue of Garvey’s treatment in the U.S. was raised at a Diaspora town Hall meeting in Manhattan last week by Simpson-Miller who told hundreds of Jamaicans that she might raise it.

“We are a great people. We have produced many great sons and daughters” and they ranged from Bob Marley and Bogle and Samuel Sharpe to Nanny, Queen of the maroons and Marcus Garvey and it was in that context that she said that she would raise the matter.

“As Jamaicans we come from strong bloodlines. Whether it was Bogle, Sharp, Garvey. I think I will have to raise with President Obama when he visits Jamaica, Marcus Garvey,” was the way she put it. “That great man should never be seen as a criminal. That great man. I believe his name should be expunged from the record (of criminals).”

In raising the issue in that way during a short speech devoted to praising the Diaspora and urging nationals to attend the Jamaica Diaspora conference in June, Simpson-Miller didn’t indicate if she would seeking a pardon or exoneration.

Obama is going to Jamaica to meet with Caricom leaders while on his way to Panama to attend next month’s Summit of the America on April 10-11.

Garvey who came to the U.S. in 1916 from Jamaica, founded and led the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which at one stage had about a million members scattered across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. He formed an array of national corporations and institutions, including the Black Star (Shipping) Line, the Negro Factory Corporation, the Negro World newspaper, and the Black Cross Nurses as well as the Flying Eagles. His message of self-help and independence resonated with Blacks everywhere.

When asked to comment on the Prime Minister’s statement, Garvey’s son, Dr. Julius Garvey, a board certified surgeon who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases, described his father’s 1920s trial as “unjust” and his conviction was without merit.

“There was no criminal behavior and the whole thing was a miscarriage of justice,” said Dr. Garvey. “It can’t be that he is pardoned of criminal behavior. We are using the means of pardon because we acknowledge that the justice system failed. It was an injustice and this needs to be corrected. While the word may be ‘pardon” it would have to be surrounded by other things which indicate there was no criminal behavior. On the contrary, he was victimized by the judiciary because of the stance he took in terms of supporting Black people at that point in time.

“Whatever the legal term used, it has to state there was no criminal behavior. The trial was basically a farce and it was a miscarriage of justice,” he explained. “It was instigated by Edgar Hoover. Those facts and statement have to be there.”

Like the Prime Minister, Dr. Garvey said his father “was not a criminal” and was simply trying to promote the concerns and well-being of “African peoples worldwide” at a time of widespread colonialism and racism.

A.J. Nicholson, Jamaica’s Foreign Minister who once served as his country’s Attorney-General, told the Carib News that he too was keen on pressing the Garvey case with Obama.

“If I get the chance I will ask the President about Marcus Garvey,” said the Foreign Minister.

During the Town Hall meeting at St. George’s Episcopal Church, both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister praised the members of the Jamaican Diaspora for their commitment to their country’s development.

Hermon Lamont, the Jamaica Consul-General in New York, was the chairman of session which was frequently interrupted by gay activists shouting criticisms of the government and the Prime Minister from the rear of the church.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

3 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on

Published

2 weeks ago

August 30, 2026

Post News Group

Post Co-Publisher Gay Plair Cobb with Brendalynn Goodall. Courtesy photo.

By California Black Media

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.

Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.

“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).

“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.

“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”

CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.

According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.

BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.

“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.

Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.

Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.

Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.

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‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results

A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.

Published

2 weeks ago

August 30, 2026

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California State Assembly Chamber. Photo courtesy of California State Assembly.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

California lawmakers are finding that laws passed in Sacramento do not always work as intended once implemented. A new Assembly oversight program has identified gaps in laws addressing wildfire recovery, insurance, foster care and clean energy.

Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced Aug. 17 that the Assembly had completed the first year of its Outcomes Review program. Billed as the first initiative of its kind in the nation, the program enlisted 15 Assembly members to evaluate 14 laws they authored or championed. Through public hearings and community meetings, lawmakers assessed whether the measures were producing their intended results.

“Passing a law isn’t the finish line,” said Rivas. “The Outcomes Review project makes sure we’re checking our work.”

The reviews identified both successes and shortcomings. The expansion of telehealth largely improved access to care and provided patients with greater flexibility. Affordable housing financing reforms also strengthened coordination among state agencies and could reduce duplicative paperwork, development costs and delays.

Other reviews uncovered more significant implementation problems.

One focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 238, which was enacted after the Eaton and Palisades fires to provide eligible borrowers with up to 12 months of emergency mortgage forbearance. The review found lender noncompliance, insufficient consumer complaint data and a need for stronger coordination between state and federal agencies.

Those findings helped shape AB 1842 and AB 1847, both victim-protection bills that are currently pending in the Senate.

After discovering that California’s FAIR Plan clearinghouse was failing to transition affected homeowners back into the private insurance market, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced AB 69 to fix the issue.

Lawmakers also found that the FAIR Plan clearinghouse was not effectively helping homeowners move into the traditional insurance market, prompting the introduction of AB 69, legislation adding new reporting, notification, and access requirements.

The program identified additional implementation problems related to foster care placement protections, oversight of charitable fundraising and wage theft enforcement.

Rivas said the findings demonstrate the need for lawmakers to continue evaluating legislation after it takes effect.

“This isn’t oversight for its own sake — it’s what accountability looks like, and we’re just getting started,” he said.

The Assembly plans to expand the Outcomes Review program in 2027 by involving more lawmakers and holding additional public hearings and community meetings. The next phase, according to Rivas, will build on the pilot year as lawmakers seek to identify implementation problems earlier and improve how state laws work in practice.