The American Experience - Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind (2001)

A Most Powerful Witness

This DVD produced by PBC is an excellent treasure for those who are interested in understanding the historical events in the development of Black American culture. This documentary of the American experience exemplifies the best of investigation of the birth of movements which affected Black life and provides answers for questions still being raised today. E.g., when White America wonder why Blacks and law enforcement doesn't appear to be successful in developing a positive relationship, this documentary provides insight when it discusses the thoughts of the late FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover, antagonist attitude toward Blacks and their selective leadership. Hoover's hatred of Martin King is seen in his hatred of Marcus Garvey. Hoover's personal belief toward Blacks was discussed and his attitude is reflected in law enforcement across the Nation to this day. This video is quite valuable as an edition to an individual's search for the truth of why things are the way they are. I highly recommend without reservation this PBS series for anyone's library who is interested in learning the historical movements in Black American Culture. December 26, 2007

Opened my eyes

I knew little of this incredibly fascinating man until I saw this film. It should be required viewing, I don't understand how one person could post so many negative reviews all on the same day. December 15, 2007

Should be required viewing in any class of black history

Marcus Garvey was a black immigrant from Jamaica who was very much a child of his times, yet was very much ahead of his time. In only a few years, (1916 - 1921), he built the largest black mass movement in history. International in scope, his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) organization gave black people a sense of pride, as one who witnessed it says on the tape, "I felt like I owned half the world and didn't want the other half." He modeled his movement on the structure of a nation, with their own flag, anthem and governmental officials, including a foreign minister.
His policies of aggressively competing with whites and not being passive when blacks were slighted brought him to the attention of J. Edgar Hoover and the animosity of other black leaders. However, two things fundamentally destroyed him. The first was his autocratic style of leadership, he tolerated no dissent or opinions contrary to his own. The second was his inability to manage money or even hire others who could. He sought and received an enormous amount of investment money from blacks, but time and time again most of it was wasted.
Marcus Garvey is arguably the most interesting person of the twentieth century that few people learn about. He raised millions of dollars and had hundreds of thousands of followers, and yet his movement expired in only a few years. I have studied history for years and had only a superficial knowledge of his name and his movement. In hearing the testimony of the people who were part of the movement, it was clear that Garvey was truly an accomplished leader. The people still speak of him with reverence and respect, even decades after witnessing the events. This tape should be required viewing in any class that covers black history.
January 3, 2006

poof! the psuedo imperial grand dragon has been slayed

News flash Ted, white documentaries are glorified too, so stop crying.......................idiot! July 9, 2004

I thought it was pretty good myself

I am a historian by profession. I did my senior thesis on the Garvey movement during my college days.

Overall, I thought this was an excellent documentary. The DVD is particularly good as it expounds upon things like Malcolm X's parents' role in the Garvey movement, J. Edgar Hoover's vendetta against Garvey, and it contains two complete speeches from Garvey recorded in 1921, the latter of which states the goals of his UNIA.

As for the controversy, one should not expect a serious documentary aimed for adults to show a historical figure as an idealized, angelic being with no human flaws. Let's face it, Garvey had his faults and this documentary deals with that. But it also makes it clear that Garvey made a positive impact on many people from the testimonies of people who actually remembered the Garvey movement. Incidentally, in response to one of the previous posters, this DVD DID mention that Garvey created the Red, Black and Green flag.

Next to reading "Black Moses" or "The Philosophy of Marcus Garvey," this is a good introduction for anyone who wants to learn about Marcus Garvey. See this, read Garvey's own writings, and judge for yourself. December 30, 2003

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