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Liberty Hall : The Legacy of Marcus Garvey

Liberty Hall, King Street, Kingston was originally founded as the headquarters of the Kingston division of Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association, (UNIA) in 1923.

Marcus Garvey

Each UNIA division was required to have Liberty Halls. Like the others, Liberty Hall, Kingston served as the venue for UNIA meetings, operated small businesses, and hosted spectacular cultural and intellectual programmes. Even after it passed from the UNIA’s hands, Liberty Hall remained an important institution in Kingston. For decades it was a major entertainment and sports centre, providing an outlet for budding musicians and professional boxers.

Marcus Mosiah Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) in Kingston, Jamaica in August 1914 with the aim of the self-determination of Africa and people of African descent against colonialism and racial segregation.

By the 1920s it had over one thousand divisions on almost every continent, making it the largest Black organization in history. Garvey’s promotion of positive self-identity, pride in history, self-reliance and education remain relevant in the 21^st century. It is with this focus on Garvey’s continued relevance that Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey was established.

In 1987, Garvey’s centenary, the Jamaican Government purchased Liberty Hall and declared it a national monument. The property was restored by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Culture through the Institute of Jamaica, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust and the Friends of Liberty Hall. It was officially re-opened on October 20, 2003, National Heroes Day and renamed: Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey.

The primary mission of Liberty Hall: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey is: 'to inform the public about the work of Jamaica’s first National Hero,and to use his philosophy and opinions to inspire, excite and positively affect the self-identity of Jamaican people, while creating social and economic wealth.

Danny Glover & Ryland Campbell, CEO of Capital & Credit view a film at the museum

The institution operates The Marcus Mosiah Garvey Multimedia Museum, Garvey Research/Reference Library, Garvey Multimedia Computer Centre and Garvey Educational Outreach Programme.

The Marcus Mosiah Garvey Multimedia Museum, is the world’s first museum on Marcus Garvey and the only multimedia museum in the Caribbean. Through the technology of touch-screens, at the touch of a finger, visitors of all ages are treated to an interactive experience of Garvey’s life and work in the exhibition, Marcus Garvey: The Movement and the Philosophy. Other exhibitions on Self-Identity, Music and Poetry inspired by Garvey, Africa and Pan-Africanism are planned. Films on these themes are currently shown in the museum.

Multimedia Centre

The Garvey Multimedia Computer Centre provides computer access to members of the surrounding community at a nominal fee. Adults and children are taught the rudiments of computer technology and are exposed to educational computer programmes.

Research Library

The Garvey Research/Reference Library is a small specialized library housing books, pamphlets and audio-visual materials relating to Marcus Garvey, the Garvey Movement; Pan-Africanism and the history and culture of Africa and the African Diaspora. The library also features a children’s collection, which caters to children from the age of six to adolescence.

After School Programme

Garvey Educational Outreach Programme – After School Programme, Adult Computer Literacy Programme

Liberty Hall’s After-school programme is designed according to the needs of children between the ages of 7 and 17 from the surrounding inner-city communities and is carried out after school, Mondays to Fridays between the hours of 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The programme consists of dance, drama, art and craft, reading, as well as motivational sessions–all incorporating the philosophy and opinions of Marcus Garvey.

Through the Adult Computer Literacy Programme, adults learn basic computer skills aimed at improving their employment marketability.

Liberty Hall’s general opening hours: Mondays to Thursdays – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Fridays : 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Museum opening hours: Mondays to Fridays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission: Adults - $J100.00/$US2.00 , children and senior citizens - $J40.00/$US1.00. Tours of fifteen or more persons require appointments.

Tel: 876-948-8639/7058, Fax: 876-948-8640

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , Website: www.garveylibertyhall.com

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