Politics

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

Published

9 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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Related Topics:jamaica Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey exoneration Portia Simpson-Miller

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MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor London Breed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

***PRESS RELEASE***

MAYOR BREED ANNOUNCES $53 MILLION FEDERAL GRANT FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS PROGRAMS

HUD’s Continuum of Care grant will support the City’s range of critical services and programs, including permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and improved access to housing for survivors of domestic violence

San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded the city a $53.7 million grant to support efforts to renew and expand critical services and housing for people experiencing homelessness in San Francisco.

HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) program is designed to support local programs with the goal of ending homelessness for individuals, families, and Transitional Age Youth.

This funding supports the city’s ongoing efforts that have helped more than 15,000 people exit homelessness since 2018 through City programs including direct housing placements and relocation assistance. During that time San Francisco has also increased housing slots by 50%. San Francisco has the most permanent supportive housing of any county in the Bay Area, and the second most slots per capita than any city in the country.

“In San Francisco, we have worked aggressively to increase housing, shelter, and services for people experiencing homelessness, and we are building on these efforts every day,” said Mayor London Breed. “Every day our encampment outreach workers are going out to bring people indoors and our City workers are connecting people to housing and shelter. This support from the federal government is critical and will allow us to serve people in need and address encampments in our neighborhoods.”

The funding towards supporting the renewal projects in San Francisco include financial support for a mix of permanent supportive housing, rapid re-housing, and transitional housing projects. In addition, the CoC award will support Coordinated Entry projects to centralize the City’s various efforts to address homelessness. This includes $2.1 million in funding for the Coordinated Entry system to improve access to housing for youth and survivors of domestic violence.

“This is a good day for San Francisco,” said Shireen McSpadden, executive director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “HUD’s Continuum of Care funding provides vital resources to a diversity of programs and projects that have helped people to stabilize in our community. This funding is a testament to our work and the work of our nonprofit partners.”

The 2024 Continuum of Care Renewal Awards Include:

$42.2 million for 29 renewal PSH projects that serve chronically homeless, veterans, and youth
$318,000 for one new PSH project, which will provide 98 affordable homes for low-income seniors in the Richmond District
$445,00 for one Transitional Housing (TH) project serving youth
$6.4 million dedicated to four Rapid Rehousing (RRH) projects that serve families, youth, and survivors of domestic violence
$750,00 for two Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) projects
$2.1 million for three Coordinated Entry projects that serve families, youth, chronically homeless, and survivors of domestic violence

In addition, the 2023 CoC Planning Grant, now increased to $1,500,000 from $1,250,000, was also approved. Planning grants are submitted non-competitively and may be used to carry out the duties of operating a CoC, such as system evaluation and planning, monitoring, project and system performance improvement, providing trainings, partner collaborations, and conducting the PIT Count.

“We are very appreciative of HUD’s support in fulfilling our funding request for these critically important projects for San Francisco that help so many people trying to exit homelessness,” said Del Seymour, co-chair of the Local Homeless Coordinating Board. “This funding will make a real difference to people seeking services and support in their journey out of homelessness.”

In comparison to last year’s competition, this represents a $770,000 increase in funding, due to a new PSH project that was funded, an increase in some unit type Fair Market Rents (FMRs) and the larger CoC Planning Grant. In a year where more projects had to compete nationally against other communities, this represents a significant increase.

Nationally, HUD awarded nearly $3.16 billion for over 7,000 local homeless housing and service programs including new projects and renewals across the United States.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.