In this biography, Ula Taylor explores the life and ideas of one of
the most important, if largely unsung, Pan-African freedom fighters
of the twentieth century: Amy Jacques Garvey (1895-1973).
Born in Jamaica, Amy Jacques moved in 1917 to Harlem, where she
became involved in the Universal Negro Improvement Association
(UNIA), the largest Pan-African organization of its time. She
served as the private secretary of UNIA leader Marcus Garvey; in
1922, they married. Soon after, she began to give speeches and to
publish editorials urging black women to participate in the
Pan-African movement and addressing issues that affected people of
African descent across the globe. After her husband's death in
1940, Jacques Garvey emerged as a gifted organizer for the
Pan-African cause. Although she faced considerable male chauvinism,
she persisted in creating a distinctive feminist voice within the
movement. In her final decades, Jacques Garvey constructed a
thriving network of Pan-African contacts, including Nnamdi Azikiwe,
Kwame Nkrumah, George Padmore, and W. E. B. Du Bois.
Taylor examines the many roles Jacques Garvey played throughout her
life, as feminist, black nationalist, journalist, daughter, mother,
and wife. Tracing her political and intellectual evolution, the
book illuminates the leadership and enduring influence of this
remarkable activist.