Lessons from the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Monday, August 17th will mark the 139th birthday of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Marcus Garvey was born on August 17, 1887, in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica. In September 1937, he assembled a small group of his most trusted organizers. For almost a quarter of a century he had led the largest international mass movement in the history of African people called the Universal Negro Improvement Association – the UNIA.

Now he wanted to pass on the lessons he had learned to the group best suited to carry the struggle forward. For one month he instructed this elite student body, twelve hours a day and seven days a week. The sessions were secret and much of the instruction was not written down. The students, did, however receive written copies of twenty-two lessons which Garvey called the “Course of African Philosophy.”

These lessons are contained in a book called Message to the People: The Course of African Philosophy. The book stated the following: “Let me hope that whoever reads this, that they may use these lessons wisely, for in these lessons there is eternal life for Africans at home and abroad.”

The following are some of the lessons taught by Garvey: You must never stop learning. The world’s greatest men and women were people who educated themselves outside of the university with all the knowledge that the university gives. One must not stop reading. Read everything that you can read.

The literature that we read should include the biography and autobiography of men and women who have accomplished greatness in their particular line of work. You should also read the best poetry for inspiration. Read history incessantly until you master it. If you do not know what went on before you came here and what is happening at the time you live, you will not know the world and will be ignorant of the world and mankind.

Never write or speak on a subject that you know nothing about, for there is always somebody who knows that particular subject better than you. You can know any subject under the sun by reading about it. You should read at least four hours a day. The best time to read is in the evening after you have retired from your work and after you have rested.

If you desire to accomplish greatness, you must first decide in your own mind in what direction you desire to seek that greatness, and when you decide in your own mind what direction you want to go, then work unceasingly towards it. No one is ever too old to learn. You should take advantage of every opportunity.

If you should hear of a great man or woman who is to lecture or speak in your town on any given subject, always make time to go and hear him or her. Anything you are going to challenge, you must first know about it so that you are prepared to defend your position. Therefore, get knowledge, get it quickly, get it studiously, but get it anyway.

Let’s remember the lessons of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. Teach them to our youth. They will help us to survive in this world.