NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement today expressing its position on recent actions taken by US President Joe Biden to posthumously pardon Marcus Garvey and the removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
“The Bahamas welcomes the posthumous pardon of Marcus Garvey. We are proud of our role in supporting the petition by CARICOM countries to undo the injustice done to Marcus Garvey. It is 102 years late, but better late than never. Thank you for correcting this injustice,” the statement read.
On Sunday, President Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Garvey, the influential Black nationalist who played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement and inspired figures like Malcolm X. Garvey was convicted of mail fraud in the 1920s, a charge that many supporters believed was politically motivated to silence his growing influence and message of racial pride. His conviction led to his deportation to his native Jamaica, where he lived until his death in 1940.
The pardon came after a concerted push from Congressional leaders and civil rights advocates, who argued that Garvey’s conviction was unjust and rooted in efforts to suppress his vision of Black empowerment.
The Ministry also voiced its strong support for the recent removal of Cuba from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, calling it a positive step forward.
“The Bahamas also supports the removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism by the US Government. We urge the government of the United States to continue to maintain this new measure. We believe that this measure is in the national security interest of The Bahamas,” the statement concluded.
In one of his final acts as president, President Biden announced that the U.S. would remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism. In return, Cuba agreed to release 553 prisoners, as part of a deal brokered by the Catholic Church. During his first term, President-elect Donald Trump reinstated Cuba on the terrorism list.
