Videri - User contributions [en]

The Veiled Garvey: The Life & Times of Amy Jacques Garvey. Ula Yvette Taylor

2017-05-02T04:59:50Z

Thehistorian528:

The concluding chapter in author Ula Evette Taylor’s The Veiled Garvey: The Life & Times of Amy Jacques Garvey makes mention of Marcus Garvey’s popularity in hip-hop culture. An anti-colonialist, examined and celebrated for his Pan-Africanist ideals, Marcus Garvey’s legacy continues to sustain its posthumous relevance in popular culture. Garvey's speeches have been cited in a number of scholarly and creative works, including “emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds,” a lyric heard in Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Still very little mention is made about the woman who dedicated her life’s work to helping shape Marcus Garvey’s image before and after his passing in 1940. Readers may find author, Ula Taylor’s use of the word veiled in the book’s title fitting after finding that she was meticulous in pulling back the layers on Amy Jacques Garvey, creating greater visibility for one of the less talked about figures of the Black nationalist movement.

Born Amy Jacques on December 31, 1895 in Kingston, Jamaica her father would instill a passion for international politics which eventually landed her in the same social circles as W.E.B. Du Bois, Kwame Nkrumah and of course Marcus Garvey. She experienced a bit of privilege during her formative years, not only was she of a lighter complexion which was held to a higher regard in Jamaica’s color/class system, she was also the descendent of John Jacques, the first mayor of Kingston. This resulted in her being able to matriculate through secondary school, a rarity being that in 1910 statistics showed that only “one-quarter of [Jamaica’s] colored population could read and write.” Taylor would later reveal Jacques Garvey's believed in Victorian gender constructs, suggesting that she “instructed black women to be competent mothers and to affirm men in the movement for self-determination.” Yet, in 1917 Jacques Garvey would place a stake in her independence and left her Jamaican home to establish a life in New York City.

Shortly after arriving to the States, possibly feeling a bit defeated by conditions bestowed upon immigrants, Amy Jacques attended a Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) meeting. Held at Liberty Hall, Marcus Garvey was a featured speaker and according to Jacques’ account, she introduced herself after his talk. Sources show that Jacques’ reflections on their first encounter involves an impressed Garvey who would invite her to his office, offering a secretarial position soon after. Amy Jacques accepts and soon after readers are introduced to Marcus Garvey's possible struggle with extramarital affairs. At the time of Amy Jacques’ hiring, Marcus Garvey was married to Amy Ashwood and author Ula Taylor provides enough information for readers to decide if Garvey entered into an affair with Amy Jacques. Either way Garvey obtained a divorce from Amy Ashwood and on July 27, 1922 Amy Jacques became Mrs. Amy Jacques Garvey.

In the years that followed Amy Jacques Garvey would gradually enter into a public role through her commitment to the UNIA. She was the wife of Marcus Garvey and his secretary too, a taxing role but one that she was devoted to. When Marcus Garvey was jailed in 1923 she worked to produce an edited volume of Philosophy and Opinions; when Marcus Garvey felt the need to move his family and UNIA movement to Jamaica, she arranged to and even paid to have all of their belongings moved; when Marcus Garvey passed in 1940 she fought for years to have his body returned from London for a proper burial in Jamaica.

Through the life of Amy Jacques Garvey, author Ula Taylor is able to examine gender, class, and race relations. More importantly, readers will surely give thought to why the contributions of women to Black Nationalist movements, is often times the last to be talked about. While examining the life of Jacques Garvey The Veiled Garvey also produces a well-researched historical narrative on the life of Marcus Garvey. This title is worth revisiting time and time again to gain an understanding of early to mid-twentieth century international affairs, colonialism, imperialism and the push to empower decedents of the African diaspora with the will to establish a nation of their own for the own.

The Veiled Garvey: The Life & Times of Amy Jacques Garvey. Ula Yvette Taylor

2017-05-02T04:58:31Z

Thehistorian528: Created page with "The concluding chapter in author Ula Evette Taylor’s The Veiled Garvey: The Life & Times of Amy Jacques Garvey makes mention of Marcus Garvey’s popularity in hip-hop cultu..."

The concluding chapter in author Ula Evette Taylor’s The Veiled Garvey: The Life & Times of Amy Jacques Garvey makes mention of Marcus Garvey’s popularity in hip-hop culture. An anti-colonialist, examined and celebrated for his Pan-Africanist ideals, Marcus Garvey’s legacy continues to sustain its posthumous relevance in popular culture. Garvey's speeches have been cited in a number of scholarly and creative works, including “emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds,” a lyric heard in Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.” Still very little mention is made about the woman who dedicated her life’s work to helping shape Marcus Garvey’s image before and after his passing in 1940. Readers may find author, Ula Taylor’s use of the word veiled in the book’s title fitting after finding that she was meticulous in pulling back the layers on Amy Jacques Garvey, creating greater visibility for one of the less talked about figures of the Black nationalist movement.

Born Amy Jacques on December 31, 1895 in Kingston, Jamaica her father would instill a passion for international politics which eventually landed her in the same social circles as W.E.B. Du Bois, Kwame Nkrumah and of course Marcus Garvey. She experienced a bit of privilege during her formative years, not only was she of a lighter complexion which was held to a higher regard in Jamaica’s color/class system, she was also the descendent of John Jacques, the first mayor of Kingston. This resulted in her being able to matriculate through secondary school, a rarity being that in 1910 statistics showed that only “one-quarter of [Jamaica’s] colored population could read and write.” Taylor would later reveal Jacques Garvey's believed in Victorian gender constructs, suggesting that she “instructed black women to be competent mothers and to affirm men in the movement for self-determination.” Yet, in 1917 Jacques Garvey would place a stake in her independence and left her Jamaican home to establish a life in New York City.

Shortly after arriving to the States, possibly feeling a bit defeated by conditions bestowed upon immigrants, Amy Jacques attended a Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) meeting. Held at Liberty Hall, Marcus Garvey was a featured speaker and according to Jacques’ account, she introduced herself after his talk. Sources show that Jacques’ reflections on their first encounter involves an impressed Garvey who would invite her to his office, offering a secretarial position soon after. Amy Jacques accepts and soon after readers are introduced to Marcus Garvey's possible struggle with extramarital affairs. At the time of Amy Jacques’ hiring, Marcus Garvey was married to Amy Ashwood and author Ula Taylor provides enough information for readers to decide if Garvey entered into an affair with Amy Jacques. Either way Garvey obtained a divorce from Amy Ashwood and on July 27, 1922 Amy Jacques became Mrs. Amy Jacques Garvey.

In the years that followed Amy Jacques Garvey would gradually enter into a public role through her commitment to the UNIA. She was the wife of Marcus Garvey and his secretary too, a taxing role but one that she was devoted to. When Marcus Garvey was jailed in 1923 she worked to produce an edited volume of Philosophy and Opinions; when Marcus Garvey felt the need to move his family and UNIA movement to Jamaica, she arranged to and even paid to have all of their belongings moved; when Marcus Garvey passed in 1940 she fought for years to have his body returned from London for a proper burial in Jamaica.
Through the life of Amy Jacques Garvey, author Ula Taylor is able to examine gender, class, and race relations. More importantly, readers will surely give thought to why the contributions of women to Black Nationalist movements, is often times the last to be talked about. While examining the life of Jacques Garvey The Veiled Garvey also produces a well-researched historical narrative on the life of Marcus Garvey. This title is worth revisiting time and time again to gain an understanding of early to mid-twentieth century international affairs, colonialism, imperialism and the push to empower decedents of the African diaspora with the will to establish a nation of their own for the own.

File:Screen Shot 2017-05-02 at 12.49.24 AM.png

2017-05-02T04:50:14Z

Thehistorian528: