Marcus Garvey Extravaganza 2010

By Gail Zucker on Sunday, August 22, 2010 - Photos by Gail Zucker - Comment

Marcus Garvey, Jamaica’s first National Hero was born in St. Ann’s Bay on August 17, 1887.

The theme of this year’s event was “Honoring our Pan-African Ancestors and the Rastafari Elders,” marking the 123rd anniversary of the birth of the International icon Marcus Mosiah Garvey. For those of you not so familiar with Garvey’s accomplishments, he was the Patriarch of the UNIA, the largest African-American and Afro-Caribbean organization for Human Rights and economic self-sufficiency of all time, attracting millions of followers in the United States, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe & Africa.

The Marcus Garvey Extravaganza was under the patronage of the Miami based Jamaican Consul General Sandra Grant-Griffiths, whos speech gave the listeners encouragement through her manner of grace and style.

The program included a multimedia audio-visual presentation, community service awards, spoken word performances and African dancers and drummers. The specially invited keynote speaker was Dr. Willie Myles, President and founder of the National Campaign to Save a Generation, which is a non-profit, charitable organization created to spread the message and method that will help the black communities across the nation to overcome the challenges of stability and survival. He spoke about the high disease rates amongst black women, the high arrest rates of black men and boys and the poor health trends of black people in general. He also addressed the chronic school failure of black students and the under representation of black males in colleges.

One of the highlights of the event was the Kinad Black History Mobile Museum. This exhibit provided a concise audio-visual snapshot of over 450 pieces of historical facts on the robust history, tragic journey, contributions and accomplishments of Africans on the continent and of Africans in the Diaspora. This is the third year in a row the Rootz Extravaganza has had the privilege of the 40 foot long bus being showcased at the event. This unique educational experience provided a brief but entertaining audio-visual chronological time-line of African history, dating from as early as 5 million years ago to the present.

The free annual event took place on August 17, 2010, the actual birthday of Marcus Mosiah Garvey. It was hosted by the Rootz Foundation, Inc. in association with the City of Ft Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Department at the Joseph C. Carter Park in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Vegan food and refreshments were available and the evening was both educational and uplifting! How good and how pleasant it is for I & I to dwell together in Inity!