Letter of the Day | Garvey’s pardon

THE EDITOR, Madam:

How does one begin to deconstruct this cocktail of symbolism and political manoeuvring? President Biden’s pardon of Marcus Garvey, while historic on the surface, drips with the kind of calculated opportunism that politicians have mastered over centuries. Let’s dissect this, shall we?

First, let’s acknowledge the obvious: Marcus Garvey was a titan, a colossus who strode across the world stage, igniting flames of pride and unity in the hearts of African descendants globally. His vision, articulated with unmatched eloquence, remains a beacon for the oppressed. That Biden — a man whose political career is littered with faux pas and policies that have disproportionately harmed Black communities — would pardon Garvey now, posthumously, feels like the kind of hollow grandstanding that thrives in the theatre of modern politics.

Why now? Why Garvey? The timing reeks of desperation. Biden’s approval ratings are as low as a limbo stick at a Caribbean festival, and his administration knows it must patch up its fraught relationship with black voters. After all, the GOP has seen a notable uptick in minority support, threatening the Democratic Party’s traditional stranglehold on this voting bloc. So, what does Biden do? He reaches into the annals of history, dusts off the legacy of a revolutionary, and waves it around like a shiny object to distract us from his administration’s glaring shortcomings.

CAREFULLY CURATED ACT

But let’s not forget: symbolism without substance is like a beautifully wrapped gift box with nothing inside. The pardon of Garvey does absolutely nothing to address the systemic issues that descendants of enslaved Africans face today. As a Jamaican, as a descendant of those who endured the abomination of slavery, what good is this gesture to you? Does it bring material reparations? Does it address the wealth gap? Does it dismantle the structures of neocolonialism that still choke the economic and spiritual growth of the African diaspora? No. It’s a performance, a carefully curated act designed to win applause but not affect real change.

And oh, the irony of Biden playing the role of Garvey’s posthumous liberator. This is the same Biden who once spoke of black children in schools as creating a “racial jungle”; the same Biden whose 1994 crime bill turbocharged mass incarceration and devastated black communities; the same Biden who has stumbled his way through racial gaffes like a man lost in a minefield. That this man now seeks to align himself with Garvey’s towering legacy is almost comical — if it weren’t so infuriating.

Moreover, the pardon does little to reconcile Biden’s own record of harm. The black community has not forgotten his past policies, his verbal missteps, or his son’s pardon, conveniently tucked into this same clemency announcement. Hunter Biden’s legal troubles, and the way they’ve been handled, expose the duality of justice in America: one for the elite, and another for ordinary people — especially black and brown folks. Garvey’s pardon might shine as a moment of historical acknowledgement, but it cannot eclipse the shadows of systemic inequity that Biden’s administration has done little to dismantle.

So, Mr Biden, while I commend the recognition of Garvey’s greatness, I must ask: What’s next? Will you address the systemic inequities that Garvey fought against? Will you take steps towards reparations, restorative justice, and the dismantling of the structures that perpetuate black oppression? Or will this pardon remain a shiny bauble, a token to be paraded in campaign speeches while real change remains as elusive as ever?

In the spirit of Garvey himself, who said, “We have a beautiful history, and we shall create another in the future,” I suggest that we, the African diaspora, focus on building that future ourselves. Because clearly, we cannot rely on symbolic gestures from politicians who have yet to prove they are truly on our side.

YANNICK NESTA PESSOA yannickpessoa@yahoo.com