By Jared D. Childress | OBSERVER Staff Writer
Dr. Julius Garvey is returning to Sacramento after making headlines in September at the Oak Park Black Film Festival. Dr. Garvey, the son of Black nationalist Marcus Garvey, will speak at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at the Guild Theater as part of the Oak Park Speaker Series.
During the fireside chat with Kevin Johnson, the St. Hope founder and former Sacramento mayor, Dr. Garvey will discuss his book, “The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey.” The book was created by Dr. Garvey and his mother, activist Amy Jacques Garvey.
Dr. Garvey has worked tirelessly to exonerate his father. Marcus Garvey is the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and the outspoken leader of the “Back to Africa Movement” of the 1920s. He was imprisoned in 1925 for mail fraud and deported back to Jamaica in 1927. Through the “Justice4Garvey” campaign, Dr. Garvey has launched an international effort to gain support for a posthumous presidential pardon.
Cassandra Jennings, president and CEO of St. Hope, which owns the Guild Theater, described the upcoming book talk as a “part two” of the conversation that began at the Black Film Festival.
“We not only get an idea of what the book is about, but we get to know the person behind the book,” Jennings said. “And here we have two people: the work of Marcus Garvey that needs to be elevated and then also the perspective of his son, Dr. Julius Garvey.”
Tickets are available at Underground Books in Oak Park or online through Eventbrite. General admission tickets are $20 and VIP $60. VIP ticket holders will join Dr. Garvey for a post-event reception at Fixins Soul Kitchen.
“He’s very personable,” Jennings said. “Those who have chosen to go to the reception will also get that one-on-one time with him. And he’s not shy about sharing his perspective.”