Amy Jacques Garvey

Amy Jacques Garvey (1895 - 1973) was a pioneering journalist in the 20th century. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Garvey enjoyed a life of privilege wherein she was able to receive a formal education and engage in extracurricular activities. An accomplished scholar, Garvey continued her pursuit of worldly knowledge and financial independence until 1917 when she emigrated to the United States and met Marcus Garvey. Taken in by Garveyism and the societal expectations of being a wife, Garvey often...See more

Amy Jacques Garvey (1895 - 1973) was a pioneering journalist in the 20th century. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Garvey enjoyed a life of privilege wherein she was able to receive a formal education and engage in extracurricular activities. An accomplished scholar, Garvey continued her pursuit of worldly knowledge and financial independence until 1917 when she emigrated to the United States and met Marcus Garvey. Taken in by Garveyism and the societal expectations of being a wife, Garvey often took a backseat in her husband's political pursuits; however despite this, she gained a reputation as a great orator and took on a lead role at the United Negro Improvement Association following her husband's imprisonment in 1922. During this time she published four books on her husband and his work including The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey (Volumes I and II, ) The Tragedy of White Injustice and Selections From the Poetic Meditations of Marcus Garvey. After his deportation in 1927, the pair moved back to Jamaica with their children and in the wake of his death in 1940 she continued her efforts to support Black Nationalism with two books of her own, Garvey and Garveyism and Black Power in America: The Power of the Human Spirit. See less