People, Locations, Episodes

Amy J. Garvey, Journalist, and Pan-Africanist born

Amy J. Garvey

Amy E.J. Garvey was born on this date in 1896. She was a Black historian, journalist, and Pan-Africanist.

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Amy Jacques was educated at Wolmers Girls’ School. Her family was middle class with valued real estate. She had to move to a cooler climate because of attacks of malaria as a young girl.

In 1918, Jacques became affiliated with the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).    She served as Marcus Garvey’s private secretary; they were married in 1922.  During Garvey’s incarceration, her activism through speaking and writing emerged.  She served as the editor of the woman’s page column, “Our Women and What They Think,” in the Negro World, the UNIA’s weekly newspaper published in New York.

Her editorials demonstrated her commitment to Pan-Africanism and her belief that Black women should be more active in their communities, even self-sacrifice.  Amy Jacques Garvey traveled across the United States as a liaison between her husband, UNIA officials, and the Marcus Garvey Committee of Justice.

Her uncompromising dedication to the organization bothered many within the UNIA. However, she could keep meticulous records in the heart of this flurry.  Upon Garvey’s release from prison and deportation in 1927, Amy and her husband returned to Jamaica; they had two sons, Marcus Jr. and Julius.

After Marcus Garvey died in 1940, she continued to serve the UNIA. Her books include Garvey and Garveyism (1963) and Black Power in America (1968). Amy Garvey received the Musgrave Medal in 1971; she died on July 25, 1973.

To be a journalist or Reporter.