*Thank you to Broadleaf Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

This is an excellent collection of scholarly essays. The piece seeks the posthumous pardon of Marcus Garvey's conviction on trumped up federal charges.

Each essay offers a distinct yet vital defense of Garvey. We hear from the author Ta-Nehisi Coates, legal professors, publishers, amongst various well-credentialed thought leaders. They describe how Garvey's agitation for social justice led to the FBI's efforts to counter his influence, ultimately indicting him on exaggerated charges.

I felt like the book would benefit from a more nuanced portrait of Garvey himself.

In public and private, he fiercely feuded with W. E. B. DuBois.

After Garvey's indictment, he met with of the KKK's Imperial Wizards at an Atlanta office. He went as far as thanking Whites for Jim Crow, praising its "honesty." He argued the Klan and other racist groups were "better friends of the race than all other groups of hypocritical whites put together."

When the jury found him guilty, he shouted at the judge and district attorney, calling them "damned dirty Jews." As he awaited sentencing, he blamed a Jewish cabal for the verdict .

I recognize that such an honest portrait could be viewed as limiting in a push to pardon Garvey's wrongful conviction. That said, I think it's vital that we recognize nuanced portraits of the Giants in our history.

One can simultaneously allow room for our own convictions: a person can be lauded for their pursuit of justice, and we can also note when those same giants pursued such efforts at the expense of others.

Join thought leaders fighting to win the posthumous pardon of Marcus Garvey, one of the most influential figures in Black history.

Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) was a Black political activist, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, which had a following of more than six million African descended people worldwide. Despite his massive popularity, this Jamaican born international leader was wrongfully sentenced to prison by the U.S. government on trumped-up mail-fraud charges.

While exoneration efforts began immediately and have continued since his sentencing, a new groundswell movement for Garvey's posthumous pardon is underway--led by his nonagenarian, still-spirited son, Julius Garvey.

Edited by Julius Garvey, Justice for Marcus Garvey is a collection of informative essays and personal narratives about the senior Garvey's life and work, demonstrating his essential influence on current social justice movements. The book features contributions from thought leaders and activists, including a foreword by bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates. Contributors include Paul Coates, founder/director of Black Classic Press; Goulda Downer, president of the Caribbean-American Political Action Committee (C-PAC); Justin Hansford, professor at Howard University School of Law; and Maulana Karenga, widely known as the creator of the holiday Kwanzaa.

Justice for Marcus Garvey is a tribute and rallying cry for one of the preeminent champions of Black pride and self-determination.

My grandmother was a follower of Garveyism, and through her, I gained substantial knowledge about Marcus Garvey. I fully support the call for his posthumous exoneration. I suggest this book to Black literary groups, students of mutual aid, and scholars of American, Caribbean, and Black history, as well as those interested in presidential pardons and legal studies.

Marcus Garvey was just someone for the black people and deserves to be respected for it. He wanted us to connect with our roots and unlearn all of the bad stuff the oppressors planted in us. Read this book if you can.