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The role of women in black liberation movements has been long debated. From Ida B. Wells to Assata Shakur, the role of women is often neglected and brushed out of our memories and history books. One woman who stands out in the list of often forgotten figures is Amy Jacques Garvey, second wife to Marcus Mosiah Garvey and a woman with a great deal of intellectual and social influence on the growth of the UNIA and international Black liberation. Working alongside her husband, she was a voice of the feminine voiceless; a writer, orator and activist with a great deal of confidence and influence. Amy Jacques Garvey first stood out to me in high school when I read the Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey. It was then when I realized her greatness, being responsible for compiling all of her husband's speeches and writings for future generations to read and learn about the greatness Marcus Garvey's work and accomplishments. I have learned through her work that it takes a team to create change-- each one has a purpose and role in developing sound ideologies and movements. Major Accomplishments:
Was Garvey's personal secretary, traveling companion, and office manager at the UNIA headquarters.
Published two volumes of speeches an writings, Garvey's Philosophy and Opinions in order to raise funds to pay for Garvey's defense when he was imprisoned for mail fraud.
Was the associate editor of The Negro World (1924-1927) and introduced a page called "Our Women and What They Think", which gave international news about women, poetry, and profiles about black women and black female historical figures.
Following Garvey's death in 1940 she became a contributing editor to a black nationalist journal, the African, which was published in Harlem, NY in the 1940s.
Established the African Study Circle of World in Jamaica in the late 1940s.
Published Garvey and Garveyism in 1963.
"Africa must be for Africans, and Negroes everywhere must be independent,God being our guide. Mr. Black man, watch your step! Ethiopia's queens will reign again, and her Amazons protect her shores and people. Strengthen your shaking knees, and move forward, or we will displace you and lead on to victory and to glory." [Source: "Women as Leaders," from The Negro World (October 25, 1925)]
The Veiled Garvey: The Life & Times of Amy Jacques Garvey Garvey and Garveyism Marcus Garvey, Hero: A First Biography