The death certificate of the nation’s first national hero, The Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, has been returned home. This significant document was donated to the Marcus Mosiah Garvey Multimedia Museum and the Garvey Research/Reference Library on July 9 at the African Caribbean Institute of Jamaica/Jamaica Memory Bank in Kingston.
The document, previously housed in London, United Kingdom, was donated by Cultural and Ancestral Genealogist Selena Carty and Family History Consultant Latoya Williams. The death certificate offers a detailed account of Garvey’s life and death, including the health conditions he faced.
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Carty remarked on the significance of the handover, saying, “This brings closure, providing complete information from birth to death for our first national hero. It allows his family and the nation to understand the circumstances of his death fully, offering a comprehensive view of his life.”
Williams added, “The death certificate helps people see Marcus Garvey as more than a national hero; it portrays him as a human being who lived a full life beyond his heroic deeds. It evokes various emotions and provides closure, joy, and insight.”
The journey of the death certificate from London to Jamaica symbolizes the bridging of historical and cultural gaps. Carty highlighted that Garvey’s influence extended beyond Jamaica, with his documentation being held in England due to his death there. This collection also includes his business and docking records from his ship arrivals in England.
“We are connecting Jamaica to the world through these transcripts, allowing Jamaicans to see the extensive reach of Marcus Garvey and his legacy. Understanding this connection helps us develop economically, religiously, politically, and educationally as a people worldwide,” Carty said.
Faith Anderson, Director of Liberty Hall: Legacy of Marcus Garvey, underscored the importance of the event, stating, “Today’s handover of Marcus Garvey’s death certificate is significant because it completes our collection. We already have his birth certificate and other vital artifacts, and now this marks another journey in connecting with scholars, genealogists, and others interested in Marcus Garvey to further our learning.”
The death certificate will be housed in the Marcus Garvey Multimedia Museum at 76 King Street. Along with the death certificate, a copy of ‘Pan-African Chronology III: A Comprehensive Reference to the Black Quest for Freedom in Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia, 1914-1929’ by Everett Jenkins Jr. was also donated.
Both donations were made to the Marcus Mosiah Garvey Multimedia Museum and the Garvey Research/Reference Library at Liberty Hall: Legacy of Marcus Garvey, Upper King Street, Downtown Kingston.
