R.I.P Dr. Tony Martin
I'll share with you my personal story with him.
Dr. Tony Martin is originally from Trinidad and was a Garvey-enthusiast. He made it is his life purpose to keep the ideas of Marcus Garvey alive. I was only about 13 when I received my first copy of the biography he had written on Garvey and also a reprint (that Dr. Martin made available) of Marcus Garvey's teachings.
This work really made an impact on me. First of all, let me tell you that when I was 10 years old and went to live in Trinidad and Tobago with my grandparents, I was able to witness something that many of my Black friends in Brooklyn wouldn't get to witness for another 35 years or so. See, in Trinidad, we had a Black Prime Minister. When I saw, with my own two eyes, that there were people of color, around the world, leading countries, I held my head a little higher. It's just as simple as that.
And when I read the work of Garvey, and discovered that there was a man who managed to address the issues of Blacks throughout the Diaspora, and also organise them, and learn how the U.S. government did all in their power to dismantle such a movement, it was the beginning of my true, political awakening. I read and cherished these books. And they were given to me by Dr. Tony Martin.
When I was in college I got a gig up in New Hampshire to work on an organic farm. Dr. Martin, a family friend, was staying in our home in Forte Green, Brooklyn. He was driving back to Boston, and I got a ride with him there. Our little road trip was fun. We talked politics and he turned into a little kid when I played my Nina Simone, Etta James and Billie Holiday mixed tape. He had never heard Billie Holiday's Fine & Mellow and he kept on rewinding it and singing it over and over again.
Thank you Tony for your belief in me. Your encouragement of my intellect and talent. Your integrity in your dealings with me. May you rest in peace.
