Amy Jacques Garvey
| Amy Jacques Garvey | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Amy Euphemia Jacques 31 December 1895 Kingston, Jamaica |
| Died | 25 July 1973 (aged 77) Kingston, Jamaica |
| Occupation | Publisher, journalist |
| Known for | Activism, black nationalism, Pan-Africanism |
| Spouse(s) | Marcus Garvey (1922–1940; his death) |
Amy Euphemia Jacques Garvey (31 December 1895 – 25 July 1973) was the Jamaican-born second wife of Marcus Garvey, and a journalist and activist in her own right. She was one of the pioneering Black women journalists and publishers of the 20th century.
Garvey was a pioneering journalist and activist. She came to New York City in 1917 and soon after became involved with the publishing of the Negro World newspaper in Harlem from its inception in August 1918.
Amy Euphemia Jacques Garvey was born on 31 December 1895 in Kingston, Jamaica. As the eldest child of George Samuel and Charlotte Henrietta (née South) Jacques, Garvey was raised in a middle-class home. Yvette Taylor, in her account of the life of Amy Jacques Garvey, refers to Garvey as being “mulatta". Charlotte Henrietta was half white, and her father was a dark-skinned black. Taylor goes on to explain that her mixed race heavily influenced her upbringing. At a young age, Garvey was taught to play the piano and took courses in music appreciation because music and music appreciation were believed to be considered the "cultural finishing to a girl's education." Garvey was a part of a small minority of Jamaican youth to attend high school. She attended Wolmer's Schools. It was believed that at the time less than 2% of the youth in Jamaica attended high school. Her political ideologies were derived as a direct result of her father. He urged her to read periodicals and newspapers to “enhance” her knowledge of the world.
Garvey was a forward-thinking woman of her time; however, he father sought to confine her to a specific role in life. Garvey also derived political ideals from her environment. Garvey lived in a time when it was common for most black Jamaicans to be poor, and illiterate farmers. It is due to Europe’s colonization of African that many African-born Jamaicans developed a consciousness of Africa at this time. While George Samuel urged Garvey to become politically aware, he reinforced the ideals of society. Garvey was allowed to take shorthand classes in her later life, but only because he wished for her to become a nurse. Upon graduating school and receiving some of the highest honors of the time, Garvey was recruited to work at a law firm. Her father initially said no, refusing to allow his daughter to work in an environment with males. George Samuel coincidentally died that year, and the lawyer proceeding over his estate urged Charlotte Henrietta to allow Garvey to work in the clerical office so that she could control the estate. Charlotte agreed, and Garvey worked there for four years, ultimately gaining knowledge of the legal system.
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