Though the phrase “emancipate yourself from mental slavery” is
commonly associated with “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley, few
know the concept originated with Marcus Garvey. During a speech
given in October 1937 at Nova Scotia’s Menelik Hall entitled
“The Work That Has Been Done,” Garvey stated: We are going to
emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others
might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind
is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to
develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other
man who uses his mind … Marcus Garvey’s memory has been kept
alive worldwide. Schools, colleges, highways, and buildings in
Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States have been
named in his honor. Garvey has also been immortalized in song
and literary works both fiction and non. What follows is an
attempt to delve into the influence Marcus Garvey continues to
hold despite the fact he joined the ancestors more than seventy
years ago and efforts by tho