Some names in history belong to a particular generation. Others continue to appear whenever people talk about identity, independence, community, and the power to shape the future. Marcus Garvey is one of those names. Born on August 17, 1887, in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Garvey became one of the most influential Black leaders of the early twentieth century. More than a century after his birth, his ideas about Black pride, education, collective organization, entrepreneurship, and economic independence continue to influence conversations across the African diaspora. As Black August invites us to remember important people and moments in Black history, August 17 offers an opportunity to look beyond a historical figure and consider a question that remains relevant today: What does it really mean to build power within our own communities?
A Legacy Built Around Self-Determination
Marcus Garvey's journey began in colonial Jamaica, where he grew up in a working-class family before traveling throughout Central America and later moving to London. His experiences exposed him to ideas about African history, colonialism, race, and Pan-African identity that would shape his worldview. In 1914, Garvey returned to Jamaica and helped establish the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA). The organization promoted Black pride, unity, African history and culture, and economic independence.
Garvey understood that representation alone was not enough. For him, empowerment also meant creating institutions, businesses, organizations, and economic opportunities that could serve Black communities. This idea became one of the defining characteristics of his movement. His message encouraged people to recognize their own value and consider how collective action could create greater independence. That concept remains relevant today, even though the social, political, and economic landscape has changed dramatically.
The Power of Economic Independence
Economic self-reliance was one of the most recognizable elements of Garvey's philosophy. Through the UNIA, he encouraged Black communities to support Black-owned businesses and develop institutions that could generate opportunities within the community. He also established the Black Star Line, a Black-owned shipping company intended to strengthen economic connections between Black communities in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. The company ultimately failed amid financial difficulties, mismanagement, and other challenges, and Garvey was later convicted of mail fraud connected to the company and deported from the United States in 1927. His life therefore cannot be reduced to a simple story of triumph, and his political beliefs and methods remain subjects of historical debate.
Yet studying history does not require turning historical figures into perfect heroes. Garvey's story is valuable precisely because it shows both the ambition and the complexity of movements built around self-determination. The larger question he raised remains significant: What happens when a community begins to believe in its ability to build, own, organize, and create for itself?
Why His Message Still Matters Today
More than a hundred years later, technology has transformed the way communities communicate and create opportunities. A small business can reach customers across the world through social media and e-commerce. Independent artists can share their work without relying entirely on traditional institutions. Entrepreneurs can build brands from their homes, while educators and creators can make history and culture accessible to millions of people.
But the underlying questions remain familiar. Who gets to tell the story? Who gets to build the institution? Who gets to own the business? Who gets to decide what the future looks like?
Garvey's answer was centered on collective confidence and self-determination. His vision was not simply about individual success. It was about encouraging people to recognize their shared identity and use that awareness as a foundation for organization and progress. Today, supporting Black-owned businesses, purchasing from independent Black creators, sharing Black stories, learning Black history, and creating opportunities for younger generations can all become part of a broader conversation about visibility and community.
That does not mean every modern action needs to be directly connected to Garvey. Instead, it means that many of the questions he raised have never completely disappeared.
From Remembering History to Building the Future
Black history is often introduced through major dates, famous speeches, landmark court decisions, and photographs of well-known leaders. Those moments are important, but history is also shaped by everyday choices. A parent teaching a child about their heritage, a teacher introducing students to a Black author, an entrepreneur opening a business, an artist creating work that reflects identity, or a customer intentionally supporting a small business may seem like individual actions. Together, however, these choices help shape culture and influence what future generations believe is possible.
That is one reason remembering Marcus Garvey during Black August can mean more than simply sharing an old photograph. Remembering can become a form of action. It can encourage us to ask what we are doing with the opportunities created by previous generations and what kind of opportunities we want to leave for the next one.
Black August itself provides a meaningful framework for this reflection. Rather than viewing Black history solely as a collection of difficult moments from the past, it can also be understood as a story of resilience, creativity, resistance, community, and continued possibility. The purpose of remembering is not to romanticize history or ignore the contradictions surrounding historical figures. It is to study the past honestly and identify the lessons that can help shape a better future.
A Recognition That Continues the Conversation
The continued interest in Garvey's legacy can also be seen in more recent efforts to formally recognize his contributions. In 2025, a resolution was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives supporting the designation of August 17 as Marcus Garvey Recognition Day. The resolution highlighted Garvey's influence and his promotion of economic independence, entrepreneurship, and self-help within Black communities.
Recognition, however, is only one part of preserving history. Understanding the complexity of Garvey's life is equally important. His achievements, controversies, political beliefs, and eventual downfall all belong to the historical record. The National Archives notes both his significant influence on Black pride and later Black movements and the controversies surrounding some of his political positions and activities. Studying that full picture allows history to become more than a celebration. It becomes an opportunity to think critically about leadership, identity, power, and community.
What Can We Carry Forward?
Perhaps the most meaningful question this August 17 is not simply “Who was Marcus Garvey?” but “What can we build with the lessons history has given us?”
We can carry forward the importance of knowing our history. We can celebrate Black identity with confidence, support entrepreneurs and creators who are building something meaningful, teach younger generations about the people who came before them, and recognize that representation becomes even more powerful when it is connected to education, opportunity, ownership, and community.
The past cannot be changed, but the future is still being written. Every generation decides what it will remember, what lessons it will carry forward, and what kind of legacy it will leave behind.
Marcus Garvey was born on August 17, 1887. More than a century later, his story gives us another reason to pause during Black August and reflect-not only on what Black communities have overcome, but also on what they continue to create, protect, and imagine.
We remember the past. We honor the legacy. And we keep building the future.
At Empower Black Voice, we believe the stories we wear, display, and share can be part of that conversation - celebrating faith, identity, culture, Black excellence, and the voices that deserve to be seen. Explore meaningful designs from Empower Black Voice and find pieces inspired by the values and stories that continue to shape our communities.
Because a legacy only stays alive when someone chooses to carry it forward.