“Won’t you help to sing these songs of freedom? Cause all I ever have Redemption songs, songs of freedom…”
Bob Marley, Redemption Song.
In a final bid to reclaim his 50-year legacy and respond to the pleas of 22 congressional representatives, President Joe Biden issued a posthumous pardon to Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr., Jamaica’s first national hero.
Issued on the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, the federal directive sures up the legacy of the 46th leader of the United States and restores the credibility of an immigrant Pan-African activist who was allegedly railroaded for trying to instill Black consciousness in the minds of his people.
“He was the first man, on a mass scale and level,” to motivate millions to acknowledge and recognize their African connection and heritage,” King, the Civil Rights champion, said.
King added that throughout Garvey’s Harlem residency, the Jamaican native-inspired “a sense of dignity and destiny” in Blacks worldwide.
“This action is an important step toward righting historic wrongs,” President Biden stated.
And Jamaica’s Minister of Culture, Olivia Grange, echoed the president’s comment, saying he (Biden) “did the right and honorable thing.”
She said the “historic pardon is a most significant step” and that the outgoing president’s action “removes a stain against one of the greatest Jamaicans, a Jamaican national hero and a hero for humanity.”
But the irony is that the 46th president’s action comes one day before the installation of the first convicted felon as president of the United States.
Distinctively, Garvey’s long-awaited pardon, among others, makes history as the biggest single-day act of clemency in American history.
Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) — was convicted of mail fraud In 1923 after galvanizing a movement for empowerment of Black people.
His organization’s message resonated with people of African descent worldwide. However, despite his global appeal, Garvey was repudiated and given a 7-year sentence for commuting mail fraud.
Reportedly, the charge was widely regarded as trumped (sic) up political retribution, and two years later, a petition allegedly bearing 70,000 signatures was presented for commutation to President Calvin Coolidge.
Coolidge responded to the majority of Black petitioners by penning deportation orders for the immigrant/organizer.
Last May, 23 congressional legislators presented a similar petition to the Democrat, who responded on Jan. 19, 2025, with a belated pardon.
In securing a reputable legacy, during his final days at the White House, President Biden also commuted sentences of nearly 2,500 individuals convicted on non-violent drug charges.
That 37 of 40 individuals on death row will now live out punishments in incarcerated detention favorably bolsters half a century’s dedication to a political servitude but preemptively registers unfavorably with the 47th commander-in-chief.
“I applaud the president (Biden) and all those who worked to see complete exoneration of our national hero,” Jamaican/Canadian filmmaker Roy T. Anderson said.
The director of “African Redemption,” a biopic released two years ago that details the trials and tribulations of the activist, added: “We hoped our film would be a springboard to justice akin to that afforded the accused assassinators of Malcolm X following the release of the Spike Lee film…but everything lined up.”
Some attribute the belated news to a one-upmanship stance to Trump’s braggadocio.
At the end of Trump’s first term in office, he signed what seemed to be a flurry of pardons and issued commutations totaling 140 people.
Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist, and rapper Lil Wayne, who was featured on his “Apprentice” TV reality weekly, Kodak Black, and ex-members of Congress were among the benefactors.
There is talk that Trump might have issued a similar pardon to appease sympathizers of Garvey’s storied cause.
Grammy Will Go On Despite Inferno
Speculations about California hosting the 67th annual Grammy Awards were dashed when the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences announced that despite devastating fires in the state, next month, the formal celebrations of last year’s music achievers will go on.
The decision received a mixed response from insiders, some of whom lost homes and property when wildfires raged through Pacific Palisades on Jan. 6.
Since then, that blaze has spread to Pasadena and Altadena, transforming the lives of more than 80,000 residents of Southern California.
Beyonce donated $2.5 million to aid families in distress; the Eagles matched that donation, and according to Billboard Magazine, Canada’s The Weekend sent $1 million.
In addition, reportedly, Jennifer Lopez canceled promotion engagements for her latest movie; Prince Harry and his princess bride Meghan Markle visited the ravages, and the Critics Choice Award nixed their annual gala in solidarity with the cause.
The Academy Awards also postponed announcements of this year’s Oscar nominees, and many entertainment events have opted out of posturing with business as usual.
Yet, Feb. 2 is the decided date for the biggest celebration of the music industry.
“The Recording Academy is looking forward to creating new memories,” a spokesperson for the elite industry fraternity said.
Reportedly, the priority will be relief, fundraising, and honoring first responders to the national debacle.
According to the CEO, “This city is our home, and we mourn the loss of life and destruction that have come to it.”
Reportedly, more than 92,000 residents have been evacuated.
Several musicians have already doled out hefty donations.
Taylor Swift and Drake are among them.
Numerous musicians have lost luxury homes, amounting to more than nearly $150 billion.
Some even volunteered fire fighting services to cool the embers.
Beginning on Jan. 31, Musicates will conduct several events to raise funds and focus on the inferno.
And by the beginning of February, music will raze the triumphs of enduring music successes.
Notwithstanding, the usual myriad after-parties have been canceled.
Catch You On The Inside!
