Finally, a Presidential Pardon for Garvey
Ambassador Curtis Ward

Amb. Curtis A. Ward
(23 January 2025) — On Sunday, January 19, 2025, President Joe Biden, on his final full day as president of the United States, issued a long sought after pardon for Jamaica’s first National Hero, the Rt. Hon. Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Acclaimed in civil rights history and literature as the first leader to organize Black populations in America and globally on a mass scale, evidence overwhelmingly suggests Garvey’s prosecution and conviction was a gross miscarriage of justice. Garvey was seen as a threat to white supremacy. Several black leaders, including the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as have others in America and the African diaspora, have spoken eloquently of Garvey’s leadership and his impact on the upliftment and awakening of black consciousness and pride. Malcolm X wrote of Garvey’s influence on his early life, having attended Garvey’s meetings in Chicago with his father, a Garveyite.
Arriving at this outcome, where Biden in granting the pardon referenced the injustice of Garvey’s conviction, has been a long journey strewn with many disappointments. As we celebrate the outcome of this sustained collective advocacy over several years, we must credit those whose resilience in this advocacy spans decades despite these disappointments. There was renewed hope, that America’s first black president, Barack Obama, would have been the one to pardon Garvey. Those hopes were heightened by Obama’s visit to Jamaica but remained unfulfilled.

Garvey’s Bust at Emancipation Park – Jamaica
The struggle for Garvey’s pardon and exoneration, to which I can personally attest, having been a part of this process for decades, began in earnest in the late 1970’s under the leadership of the late Ambassador Alfred Rattray while serving as Jamaica’s ambassador to Washington. In a related activity, ambassador Rattray, encouraged and supported by prime minister Michael Manley and then foreign minister P. J. Patterson, worked to enshrine Garvey’s bronze bust in the Hall of Heroes of the Organization of American States. It is significant to highlight the battle to overcome the systemic racial bias and the resistance mounted in the OAS opposed to the placement of a bronze bust of Garvey in this hallowed space. This honor was reserved throughout the organization’s history for honoring only white heroes presented in white alabaster bust, not bronze. No other black or non-white hero of the Americas has been so honored. Recognizing Garvey as a regional hero, was an important step in achieving his exoneration.
Also, the embassy hosted a book launch for the most detailed and comprehensive research collection and collation of copies of thousands of documents, by Dr. Robert Hill, The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Volumes I-X, published by the University of California Press. Hill’s volumes, particularly Vol. II, chronicled the documents, correspondence, and plot to indict Garvey led by then assistant prosecutor J. Edgar Hoover to frame and unjustly prosecute Garvey. Hill’s volumes provide the best, and most invaluable source of detailed evidentiary support for Garvey’s pardon.

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke Chair, Congressional Black Caucus
Ambassador Rattray used his office to encourage our friends in Congress to advocate for Garvey’s pardon and exoneration. This was later taken up by Rep. John Conyers, then chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee (in 1987), and Rep. Charles Rangel who introduced a resolution in 2001 calling for Garvey’s exoneration, and again called on the Congress in 2004 to do so. Rep. Yvette Clarke now leads this effort in the Congress. A daughter of Jamaican Immigrants representing a New York congressional district, and now chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (62 members), Rep. Clarke has, for the past several years, pursued Garvey’s exoneration with great vigor. Her latest effort was a letter, in December 2024, co-signed by 22 of her congressional colleagues entreating president Biden to exonerate Marcus Garvey.

Dr. Julius Garvey, M.D.
I commend Dr. Julius Garvey, Marcus Garvey’s son, for his leadership and unwavering commitment to righting this injustice. He is supported by Marcus Garvey’s granddaughter, Nzinga Garvey, and several members of Jamaican diaspora leadership and Diaspora organizations, and others, who have played important roles at some point in this arduous process. These include: the Jamaica Progressive League (JPL); members of the National Association of Jamaican and Supportive Organizations, founded by Ambassador Rattray in 1977 as a Jamaican patriotic organization; the Caribbean-American Political Committee (C-PAC) and its immediate past president, Dr. Goulda Downer; Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (the UNIA), Howard University Law School professors and students led by Professor Justin Hansford, head of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center; long-time diaspora leaders such as Irwine Clare, who has advocated and lobbied for Garvey’s pardon for several years; and Jamaican philanthropist George Willie, who hired noted civil rights lawyer and Harvard Professor the late Charles Ogletree to prepare and file a pardon petition with President Barack Obama. Successive Jamaican governments have asked the U.S. government for a pardon. CARICOM member governments have supported diplomatic efforts.

(L-R) Amb Curtis Ward, Dr. Julius Garvey, Mrs. Sonia Ward at C-PAC event
Biden, having served as president for four years, and as Vice President to Obama for eight years, as well as decades in the Senate, would have been familiar with these efforts to exonerate and pardon Garvey. Given the increased pressure on him in the waning days of his administration, led in part by Rep. Yvette Clarke, it might not be mere coincidence that Biden granted Garvey’s pardon on the day before the national celebration of Martin Luther King Jr’s Day. Biden acknowledged Garvey’s nexus to the civil rights movement and his efforts to uplift the dignity of black people in America and around the world, and, most Importantly, Biden cited the injustice meted out to Garvey.
During the days leading up to the pardon, I anxiously exchanged messages with Dr. Julius Garvey searching for any clue to what Biden might do. We still had hope Biden would do the right thing. We felt the evidence of Garvey’s innocence was so compelling Biden could no longer ignore it. There was not now, or ever, a good reason to deny this pardon. Biden believes in second chances for those who were unjustly investigated, prosecuted and convicted, thus, pardoning Garvey must have been seriously considered.
A pardon for Marcus Garvey, though cause for celebration and gratitude, is not the end of advocacy for total exoneration. As P.J. Paterson said in his response to the pardon: “Our ultimate goal must remain the posthumous exoneration for Marcus Garvey.”
Jamaicans at home and in the diaspora, including Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition Mark Golding who both issued laudatory statements welcoming the issuance of this pardon of Jamaica’s National Hero Marcus Garvey. This celebration is joined by followers of Marcus Garvey’s philosophy globally.
We know that exoneration is a more difficult process. Only the court has the prerogative to exonerate. The case against Garvey must be re-opened judicially. There will be possible legal issues of standing to bring suit, statute of limitations, and other legal as well as political obstacles. The Justice Department must lead this process. Biden’s pardon will help us make the case for exoneration. The resistance though breached, the struggle continues.
© Curtis A. Ward/The Ward Post

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This is an outstanding article on the posthumous pardon granted Marcus Garvey and a most worthy tribute to the benefits of united advocacy by the Caribbean community at home.and abroad. In this article Ambassador Ward has erected a robust framework for our progess – united in beneficial effort we shall rise. The pardon for Marcus Garvey was long overdue..We are glad President Biden did what others could have done but failed to do. And we thank Ambassador Ward for telling the story.
More here- https://dominicanewsonline.com/news/homepage/news/commentary-enduring-legacies-of-inequity-the-historical-context-and-contemporary-dynamics-of-african-exploitation-and-what-must-be-done/
Gabriel J Christian http://www.marylandattorneyatlaw.com
Thanks for those kind words Atty Gabriel Christian. I am fully aware of your firm’s role in recognizing Garvey’s impact, not only here in America, but in Central America. Grateful for you contributions and support. Stay well.
Dear Ambassador Ward:
Thank you for this very informative and revealing article on our first National Hero The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. I am sure many of us in the Diaspora were not aware of this exhausting task that was pursued to achieve this result. Kudos to Ambassador Rattray and the rest of the team including yourself, Representative Yvette and her colleagues notwithstanding. Thanks again for this great article. I am joined by my wife Peach nee Coke in offering congratulations.
Thanks Lloyd. It’s great reading your comments. Indeed, it has been a long struggle, and many in the diaspora have contributed along the way. Rep Yvette Clarke has added tremendously to our efforts and we are grateful President Biden listened and acted. The outcome justifies the struggle. Give my regards to Peach. One Love, my brother. Stay well.
The following reactions to the article, “Finally, a Presidential Pardon for Garvey”, were registered with me directly:
Dr. Julius Garvey: “Excellent!! The best historical review. Thanks.”
Dr. Nzinga Garvey: “A thoughtful encapsulation of our arduous journey. I appreciate the conclusion of your article: As P.J. Patterson said in his response to the pardon: “Our ultimate goal must remain the posthumous exoneration for Marcus Garvey.”