4 Lessons of Activism from Marcus Garvey

Yesterday, people around the world celebrated "Marcus Garvey's" day. On August 17, 1887 a great man was born. a man who restored the African pride to black people around the world. one of the most influential figures in the history of the black man, if not the most.

Usually when we think about black equality and civil rights around the world, we think of people like Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela, but it was Marcus Garvey who first promoted the issue significantly.

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At age 24, he had already earned a reputation as a local journalist and political activist in Jamaica. At 27 he started the 'UNIA' ( the united negro improvement association ), an international organization to help black people economically, to protect their culture and help people with all kinds of racial discrimination.

He founded the first black shipping company in history – the 'black star' and a "black" newspaper that distributed all over the world.

He Led the largest black movement in history, Which at its peak, has attracted millions of people worldwide.

His work influenced many black leaders in the 20th century, presidents and prime ministers Africans like Patrice Lumumba (Congo), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya), Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana) and Nelson Mandela (South Africa), and activist like Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and Elijah Muhammad. Schools, bridges and parks around the world are named after him, and he is considered as a prophet among the Rastafarians.

Marcus garvey's beliefs

Above all, Marcus Garvey believed that race matters. He saw the black man oppressed all over the world by governments with diverse ideologies not because of his views, education, economic status or social status, but because of his race - simply by being black - and he was not wrong. Hence he began to preach that because the black man oppressed universally only because of his race, he must put race above all. because the whole world relate to black people in the same way just because of their color, black people from all over the world have to reunite as a race and put the interest of the black men and women over any other interest.

He reminded his followers that the slave ships brought no Jamaicans or Trinidadians, Americans or Belizeans - but Africans. Years of slavery and oppression displaced their African culture and traditions.

That’s why he started calling for counter-migration of black people from America, the Caribbean and from all over the world back to Africa to establish an African empire – where the blacks will benefit equal rights like the rest of the world.

"Where is the black man government? Where is his king and his kingdom? Where is his president, his country and his ambassador?? His army, his navy. His men of big affairs? I could not find them and then I declared I will help to make them."

Garvey obviously failed to realize many of his objectives : his 'black star' shipping company failed at the end. migration of millions of American blacks to Africa was too ambitious task and obviously was never implemented the way Garvey wanted. He was deported from the United States, and despite millions of dollars passed through his hands he did not die a wealthy man. But despite this, he made his mark in the world - he led the largest international black movement in history, and influenced similar struggles up till today - the civil rights movement in the United States up other internal conflicts around the world. He was a man who brought unification and strength to Black people throughout the world.

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What we as activists can learn from this great man?

1.It is all about timing.

the west indies in the late 19's and the early 20's was not an easy place for the african people who formed the majority of the in those territories. slavery had not long before ended in nearly all of the british islands and many of the black adults alive during young garvey's childhood would therefore have been slaves at some point of their lives.

The end of slavery had meant some relief from the harsher aspects of life under the system but it did not mean automatic equality with the white people - The situation was far from it. .

The vast majority of blacks were poor, most of them were farmers that worked in the fields and plantations belong to white land owners in Tough Working conditions and for low salaries - just like during the slavery time. 90 percent of the local population did not possess the right to vote or other political rights - rights that were reserved for whites only. Although governments have started providing educational services to black children yet still only about 20 thousand blacks out of quarter of a million blacks in Jamaica (where garvey was born) were illiterate.

Inequality between blacks and whites existed in all aspects of life, and the situation in Africa, South and Central America was even worse.. africa was in the last throes of european conquest and the black world was reeling from the murder of millions of Africans and near total annihilation of its independence.

africa was in the last throes of european conquest and the black world was reeling from the near total annihilation of its independence

In the United States there were segregation laws that separated blacks and whites in schools, residential areas, and in public places. Black people generally received lower wages than their white frien and violence by white people against blacks were most of the time justified in the courts.

Out of This grim reality Marcus Garvey we know today rose:

" i was determined that the black man would not continue to be kicked about by all the outher races and nations of the world, as I sew it in the west indies, south and central America and as I read of it in America. I sew before me then even as I do now, a new world of black men, not peons, serfs, dogs and slaves but a nation of sturdy men making their impress upon civilization and causing a new light to dawn upon the human race."

The time was right, garvey appeared on the scene when the need was greatest.

2. Not to act, speak or write about topics we are not mastered in

Garvey understood that when one deals with a subject he is not properly versed in it there will always be an ideological opponent that could embarrass him and reject his claims. He was also wise enough to realize that the personal experience of a person was not enough to give him the knowledge he needs so he must acquire his knowledge from the experience of others as well

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Garvey did not stop reading. He read and studied the depth of the history of the black man, he studied disciplines of social sciences, humanities and industry. He learned  about struggles and ideas already forgotten from the world and drew relevant conclusions that led to the modern struggle. He was not afraid to read texts of white intellectuals or intellectuals that he opposed to their ideas.he did it when he remembers that they were for their own interests - the text is not sacred.

3.Give hope

Garvey knew his people – the black people. He taught and inspired them.

He gave his people hope and provided them with a goal to achieve – a free and redeemed Africa. A world of black men and women proudly and fiercely equal to the rest of humankind. And he earned the right to criticize them.

He criticized them for being too weak and for begging for equal rights from those that suppress them instead Instead of demanding it.

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"Babylon did it. Assyria did. France under Napoleon did it. Germany under Prince Von Bismarck did it.  America under George Washington did it. AFRICA WITH 400 MILLION BLACK PEOPLE CAN DO IT".

Garvy teaches us that hope is the power that motivates people to rise up and bring the change they want to bring to the world. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel" he shouts. But we must not afraid of criticize ourselves and our partners in order to improve and move forward towards the light.

4. Never despair. Never give up.

Each individual who seek revolution and trying to change the existing system or the ideas that dominates the world will always encounter opposition from the ruling powers of that time. This law existed from the dawn of history, and probably will continue to exist forever: the prophets in the biblical period, Jesus, Maimonides, Galileo, the leaders of the French Revolution, the Northern forces in the American Civil War, Marcus Garvey, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Fidel Castro, Nelson Mandela and many others – they all fought for revolution and they all were suppressed by those who opposed the change

Common to all these mentioned above and the difference between them and the people we are not familiar with their names, is that they did not give up. despite many attempts by the authorities to suppress them, they continued their struggle no matter what - some of them stopped only when murdered.

Marcus Garvey, was criticized from within and without, he was charged with false charges by the United States government and expelled from the country, he received death threats demanding him to give up his ambitions. He never stopped.

Unlike leaders like Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela who died after the victory of their struggle. He died in the midst of the struggle - so when he died the governments still tried to erase his ideas and the legacy  he left behind after his death.

Everything was done to wipe out the record of garvey's phenomenal career. A whole generation of schoolchildren grew up in the West Indies, afro-America and Africa who never saw the name of marcus garvey mentioned in their history books.

The man who had led the largest international political movement among Africans in history, disappeared from the pages of history. Where he was mentioned it was usually in a very few sentences suggesting that he was probably a crock, criminal and a fool.

In 1964, two years after Jamaica became independent – the jamaician government proclaimed him the country's first national hero.

He didn't give up. he didn't stop. his ideas didn't come fulfilled in his lifetime, , but due to his devotion to the task, some of them were fulfilled after his death.

I believe that we as modern social and political activists can learn a lot more from Marcus Garvey. Even during his lifetime the ideas he promoted was heavily criticized from within and without and today most of them are seen as irrelevant at all. But his ideas is not the main lesson. It is his influence that evident to this day - he gave hope to millions of blacks and gave them a reason to stand up and claim their rights, to demand a better life. He gave pride and self-esteem to those who looked in the mirror and found it difficult to love themselves.

Marcus Mosiah Garvey was a man that lived a life with a mission. Although his journey may have seemed impossible, his never-ending strength and dedication caused many people’s dreams and wishes to become realities

He was responsible for putting forward ideas that helped to advance the political consciousness of blacks worldwide and influenced social movements around the world.  He changed the life of millions.

"Look for me in a whirlwind or a storm! Look for me all around you! For with God's grace, I shall come back with countless millions of Black men and women who have died in America, those who have died in the West Indies, and those who have died in Africa, to aid you in the fight for liberty, freedom and life!...

Can we do it?We can do it?

We shall do it.  "

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10 Barriers to Education around the world

Children in poor countries face many barriers to accessing an education. Some are obvious – like not having a school to go to – while others are more subtle, like the teacher at the school not having had the training needed to effectively help children to learn. Here we list 10 major barriers to education, and look at how the Global Partnership for Education is working to overcome them. By taking action to encourage the UK Government to make a strong commitment to the Global Partnership, you’ll be helping to break down these barriers.

1. A lack of funding for education

While the Global Partnership for Education is helping many developing countries to increase their own domestic financing for education, global donor support for education is decreasing at an alarming rate.  Total aid delivered for basic education has dropped for three years in a row, resulting in a 16% reduction between 2009 and 2012. Aid to basic education is now at the same level as it was in 2008. This is creating a global funding crisis that is having serious consequences on countries’ ability to get children into school and learning. The 59 developing countries that are GPE partners face a funding shortage of $34 billion over the next four years for primary and secondary education. Money isn’t everything, but it is a key foundation for a successful education system.

The Global Partnership is aiming to raise $3.5 billion in new investment from donors like the UK into the GPE fund, as well as increases in other aid to education, and is also asking developing country partners to pledge increases in their own domestic financing. If these pledges are made, GPE estimate that they can leverage a further $16 billion in spending by developing countries on education, aiming to close the global education funding gap.

2. Having no teacher, or having an untrained teacher

What’s the number one thing any child needs to be able to learn? A teacher of course. We’re facing multiple challenges when it comes to teachers. Not only are there not enough teachers globally to achieve universal primary education (let alone secondary), but many of the teachers that are currently working are also untrained, leading to children failing to learn the basics, such as maths and language skills. Globally, the UN estimates that 1.6 million additional new teachers are required to achieve universal primary education by 2015, and 5.1 million more are needed to achieve universal lower secondary education by 2030. Meanwhile, in one out of three countries, less than three-quarters of teachers are trained to national standards.

Since 2011 the Global Partnership for Education has helped to train over 300,000 teachers worldwide. With a successful replenishment, GPE can make teacher recruitment and training a top global priority for delivering quality education for all.

3. No classroom

This seems like a pretty obvious one – if you don’t have a classroom, you don’t really have much of a chance of getting a decent education. But again, that’s a reality for millions of children worldwide. Children in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are often squeezed into overcrowded classrooms, classrooms that are falling apart, or are learning outside. In Malawi, for example, there are 130 children per classroom in grade 1 on average. It’s not just a lack of classrooms that’s the problem, but also all the basic facilities you would expect a school to have – like running water and toilets. In Chad, only one in seven schools has potable water, and just one in four has a toilet; moreover, only one-third of the toilets that do exist are for girls only – a real disincentive and barrier for girls to come to school.

Since 2011 funding from the Global Partnership for Education has helped to build or rehabilitate 53,000 classrooms. If they receive the money they need from donors like the UK, the GPE can ensure that many more children are able to learn in a decent classroom.

4. A lack of learning materials

Outdated and worn-out textbooks are often shared by six or more students in many parts of the world. In the United Republic of Tanzania, for example, only 3.5% of all grade 6 pupils had sole use of a reading textbook. In Cameroon, there are 11 primary school students for every reading textbook and 13 for every mathematics textbook in grade 2. Workbooks, exercise sheets, readers and other core materials to help students learn their lessons are in short supply. Teachers also need materials to help prepare their lessons, share with their students, and guide their lessons.

Between 2011 and 2014, the Global Partnership’s developing country partners are on track to distribute 55 million textbooks thanks to GPE support.

5. The exclusion of children with disabilities

Despite the fact that education is a universal human right, being denied access to school is common for the world’s 93 million children with disabilities. In some of the world’s poorest countries, up to 95% of children with disabilities are out of school. A combination of discrimination, lack of training in inclusive teaching methods among teachers, and a straightforward lack of disabled accessible schools leave this group uniquely vulnerable to being denied their right to education.

Children with disabilities are one of the Global Partnership for Education’s priorities over the next four years. With a successful replenishment, the GPE will be able to work with its 59 developing country partners to promote inclusive education. The Global Partnership has pledged that by 2018, 80% of its partner countries will have explicit policy and legislation on education for children with disabilities.

6. Being the ‘wrong’ gender

Put simply, gender is one of the biggest reasons why children are denied an education.  Despite recent advances in girls’ education, a generation of young women has been left behind. Over 100 million young women living in developing countries are unable to read a single sentence. At least one in five adolescent girls around the world is denied an education by the daily realities of poverty, conflict and discrimination. Poverty forces many families to choose which of their children to send to school. Girls often miss out due to belief that there’s less value in educating a girl than a boy. Instead, they are sent to work or made to stay at home to look after siblings and work on household chores.

Ensuring girls can access and complete a quality education is a top priority for the Global Partnership for Education. Since its inception, GPE has helped 10 million girls to go to school. 28 of GPE’s developing country partners have succeeded in getting equal numbers of girls and boys to complete primary school. With a successful replenishment, GPE aims to increase the percentage of girls completing primary school from 74% to 84% by 2018.

7. Living in a country in conflict or at risk of conflict

There are many casualties of any war, and education systems are often destroyed. While this may seem obvious, the impact of conflict cannot be overstated. In 2011, around 50% of all of the world’s out-of-school children were living in countries affected by conflict. Conflict prevents governments from functioning, teachers and students often flee their homes, and continuity of learning is greatly disrupted. Worryingly, education has thus far been a very low priority in humanitarian aid to countries in conflict – only 1.4% of global humanitarian assistance was allocated to education in 2012.

Since its establishment, the Global Partnership for Education has committed 61% of its funds to conflict-affected and fragile states — higher than most other donors. Of the 29 million children GPE hope to get into school between 2015 and 2018, 23 million are living in fragile and conflict-affected states. The Global Partnership is also right now looking at how to further improve its operations to accelerate support to countries in emergencies or early recovery situations.

8. Distance from home to school

For many children around the world, a walk to school of up to three hours in each direction is not uncommon. This is just too much for many children, particularly those children with a disability, those suffering from malnutrition or illness, or those who are required to work around the household. Imagine having to set off for school, hungry, at 5am every day, not to return until 7pm. Many children, especially girls, are also vulnerable to violence on their long and hazardous journeys to and from school.

By investing in new schools, more schools, the Global Partnership for Education is helping to reduce the distances children have to travel to get to school for a decent education. With pledges of support from donors like the UK, the GPE can help ensure no child has to endure such long journeys just to fulfil their basic right to education.

9. Hunger and poor nutrition

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The Impact of hunger on education systems is gravely underreported. Being severely malnourished, to the point it impacts on brain development, can be the same as losing four grades of schooling. Around 171 million children in developing countries are stunted by hunger by the time they reach age 5. Stunting can affect a child’s cognitive abilities as well as their focus and concentration in school. As a result, stunted children are 19% less likely to be able to read by age eight. Conversely, good nutrition can be crucial preparation for good learning.

The Global Partnership for Education seeks to address national priorities as decided by developing country governments themselves. Where under-nutrition is a major concern, the GPE is stepping in to address the problem. For instance, in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, an innovative School Meals Program funded by GPE is addressing students’ nutritional deficits as well as promoting self-reliance, community ownership, and sustainability through integrated local food production and the active involvement of community members. As a result, Lao PDR has seen increased school enrollment (especially for girls), improved nutritional status, reduced household expenses, and stronger student-teacher-parent and community relations.

10. The expense of education (formal or informal fees)

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights makes clear that every child has the right to a free basic education, so that poverty and lack of money should not be a barrier to schooling. In many developing countries, over the last decades governments have announced the abolition of school fees and as a result, seen impressive increases in the number of children going to school. But for many of the poorest families, school remains too expensive and children are forced to stay at home doing chores or work themselves. Families remain locked in a cycle of poverty that goes on for generations. In many countries in Africa, while education is theoretically free, in practice ‘informal fees’ see parents forced to pay for ‘compulsory items’ like uniforms, books, pens, extra lessons, exam fees or funds to support the school buildings. In other places, the lack of functioning public (government) schools means that parents have no choice but to send their children to private schools that, even when technically ‘low fee’, are unaffordable for the poorest families who risk making themselves destitute in their efforts to get their children better lives through education.

The Global Partnership for Education’s primary purpose is to help strengthen the national education systems of the poorest countries, building their capacity to deliver quality affordable education for all citizens. The GPE specifically priorities the most marginalised children out of school, supporting countries to find ways to provide even the poorest families with access to basic education. If donors like the UK pledge funds to the GPE this year, the Global Partnership aims to support 29 million more children to get a good education.

This article was published originally in GlobalCitizen.org

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