Fellow Men of the Negro Race,
Greeting:
> I am delighted to inform you, that
your humble servant is as happy in
suffering for you and our cause as is
possible under the circumstances of
being viciously outraged by a group
of plotters who have connived to do
their worst to humiliate you through
me, in the fight for real
emancipation and African
Redemption.
> I do trust that you have given no
credence to the vicious lies of white
and enemy newspapers and those
who have spoken in reference to my
surrender. The liars plotted in every
way to make it appear that I was not
willing to surrender to the court. My
attorney advised me that no
mandate would have been handed
down for ten or fourteen days, and
is the custom of the courts, and that
would have given me time to keep
speaking engagements I had in
Detroit, Cincinnati and Cleveland . I
hadn't left the city of ten hours
when the liars flashed the news that
I was a fugitive. That was good news
to circulate all over the world to
demoralize the millions of Negroes
in America, Africa , Asia, the West
Indies and Central America, but
the idiots ought to know by now that
they can't fool all the Negroes at the
same time.
> I do not want at this time to write
anything that would make it difficult
for you to meet the opposition of the
enemy without my assistance.
Suffice to it say that the history of
the outrage shall form a splendid
chapter in the history of Africa
redeemed, when black men will no
longer be under the heels of others,
but have a civilization and country of
their own.
> The whole affair is a disgrace, and
the whole black world knows it. We
shall not forget. Our day may be
fifty, a hundred or two hundred
years ahead, but let us watch, work
and pray, for the civilization of
injustice is bound to crumble and
bring destruction down upon the
heads of the unjust.
> The idiots thought that they could
humiliate me personally, but in that
they are mistaken. The minutes of
suffering are counted, and when
God and Africa come back and
measure out retribution these
minutes may multiply by thousands
for the sinners. Our Arab and
Riffian friends will be ever vigilant,
as the rest of Africa and ourselves
shall be. Be assured that I planted
well the seed of Negro or black
nationalism which cannot be
destroyed even by the foul play that
has been meted out to me.
> Continue to pray for me and I shall
ever be true to my trust. I want you,
the black peoples of the world, to
know that W.E.B. Du Bois and that
vicious Negro-hating organization
known as the Association for the
Advancement of "Colored" People
are the greatest enemies the black
people have in the world. I have so
much to do in the few minutes at my
disposal that I cannot write
exhaustively on this or any other
matter, but be warned against these
two enemies. Don't allow them to
fool you with fine sounding press
releases, speeches and books; they
are the vipers who have planned
with others the extinction of the
"black" race. My work is just
begun, and when the history of my
suffering is complete, then future
generations of Negroes will have in
their hands the guide by which they
shall know the "sins" of the
twentieth century . I, and I know
you, too, believe in time, and we
shall wait patiently for two hundred
years, if need be, to face our
enemies through our posterity.
> You will cheer me much if you will
now do even more for the
organization than when I was among
you. Hold up the hands of those who
are carrying on. Help them to make
good, so that the work may continue
to spread from pole to pole.
> I am also making a last minute
appeal for support to the Black
Cross Navigation and Trading
Company. Please send in and make
your loans so as to enable the
directors to successfully carry on the
work.
> All I have I have given to you. I
have sacrificed my home and my
loving wife for you. I entrust her to
your charge, to protect and defend
her in my absence. She is the
bravest little woman I know. She has
suffered and scarified with me for
you; therefore, please do not desert
her at this dismal hour, when she
stands alone. I have left her
penniless and helpless to face the
world, because I gave you all, but
her courage is great, and I know she
will hold up for you and me.
> After my enemies are satisfied, in
life or death I shall come back to you
to serve even as I have served
before. In life I shall be the same; in
death I shall be a terror to the foes
of Negro liberty. If death has
power, then count on me in death to
be the real Marcus Garvey I would
like to be. If I may come in an
earthquake, or a cyclone, or plague,
or pestilence, or as God would have
me, then be assured that I shall
never desert you and make your
enemies triumph over you. Would I
not go to hell a million times for
you? Would I not like Macbeth's
ghost, walk the earth forever for
you? Would I not lose the whole
world and eternity for you? Would I
not cry forever before the footstool
of the Lord Omnipotent for you?
Would I not die a million deaths for
you? Then, why be sad? Cheer up,
and be assured that if it takes a
million years the sins of our enemies
shall visit the millionth generation of
these that hinder and oppress us.
> Remember that I have sworn by
you and my God to serve to the end
of all time, the wreck of matter and
the crash of worlds. The enemies
think that I am defeated. Did the
Germans defeat the French in
1870? Did Napoleon really conquer
Europe? If so, then I am defeated,
but I tell you the world shall hear
from my principles even two
thousand years hence. I am willing
to wait on time for my satisfaction
and the retribution of my enemies.
Observe my enemies and their
children and posterity, and one day
you shall see retribution settling
around them.
> If I die in Atlanta my work shall
then only begin, but I shall live, in
the physical or spiritual to see the
day of Africa's glory. When I am
dead wrap the mantle of the Red ,
Black and Green around me, for in
the new life I shall rise with God's
grace and blessing to lead the
millions up the heights of triumph
with the colors that you well know.
Look for me in the whirlwind or the
storm, look for me all around you,
for, with God's grace, I shall come
and bring with me countless
millions of black slaves who have
died in America and the West
Indies and the millions in Africa to
aid you in the fight for Liberty,
Freedom and Life.
> The civilization of today is gone
drunk and crazy with its power and
by such it seeks through injustice,
fraud and lies to crush the
unfortunate. But if I am apparently
crushed by the system of influence
and misdirected power, my cause
shall rise again to plague the
conscience of the corrupt. For this I
am satisfied, and for you, I repeat, I
am glad to suffer and even die.
Again, I say, cheer up, for better
days are ahead. I shall write the
history that will inspire the millions
that are coming and leave the
posterity of our enemies to reckon
with the hosts for the deeds of their
fathers.
> With God's dearest blessings, I
leave you for awhile.
Marcus Garvey
Tuesday, February 10, 1925
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