BIDEN PARDONS MARCUS GARVEY 102 YEARS LATER

On his last day in office, US President Joe Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey, 102 years after his controversial conviction on dubious mail fraud charges. The pardon follows years of advocacy by civil-rights groups and lawmakers seeking to honour the Jamaican-born leader, who championed pan-Africanism and the liberation of African people.

Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) was targeted by the FBI, which saw Black activism as a national security threat, leading to his imprisonment.

While the pardon acknowledges a miscarriage of justice, many see it as mere tokenism. Other figures, such as Mumia Abu-Jamal and Assata Shakur, remain entangled in the US justice system.

The pardon also fails to go far enough: an exoneration would be more apt, as it would declare his innocence, rather than simply forgiving a conviction.

Garvey's legacy endures. His teachings inspired leaders such as Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, and Malcolm X, who credited him with initiating America’s freedom movements. The Rastafarian movement revered Garvey for his prophecy tied to Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, while the pan-African flag - his creation - symbolises the blood, skin and soil of Africa. Garvey died at just 52, yet his impact resonates generations after. For Africans, Garvey's greatness needs no external validation.