The Marcus Garvey Library in Tottenham is an important landmark for black Britons. Has its temporary closure by Haringey council been thought through?
Marcus Garvey photographed at his desk in New York, 1920.
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When the Jamaican equality campaigner Marcus Garvey first visited England in 1912, Jamaica was still 50 years away from independence from Britain. Garvey, a visionary and one of the most important and influential figures of the 20th century, stayed for two years.
He worked on the African Times and Orient Review, a newspaper focusing primarily on issues surrounding liberation and anti-colonial struggles around the world. In those two years, he learned about British democracy, and was drawn in particular to the Labour party, especially the welfare socialism the party promoted.
His visit to England is thought to have inspired him to create the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in June 1919 – an outlet that aimed to represent all black people both in Africa and the diaspora.
The UNIA endorsed economic self-reliance by running various black businesses including factories, laundries, restaurants, hotels, and a printing press. He also founded the Black Star Line, a now defunct shipping company for economic trade exclusively between Africa and the black diaspora.
A follower of Marcus Garvey outside the United Negro Improvement Association in April 1943.
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Garvey died in London in 1940. In 1987 – the year that would've marked his 100th birthday – a library in Tottenham was named after him. His son, Dr Marcus Garvey Jr, came to Tottenham to unveil the foundation stone. Some of the books housed in the library form part of an important archive of books for black British communities in north London – and far beyond. In August this year Haringey Council temporarily closed the Marcus Garvey Library in order to make room for council services such as administering parking permits and benefits. A group of local residents are "appalled" by this decision.
Following the closure, a statement from Haringey council said there would be "no reduction to the library services on offer". A campaign group, Friends of Marcus Garvey Library, believes this to be an "outright lie". They are concerned that when the library reopens in 2016, there will be a significant reduction in space, fewer books, and that the shared space with council services will cause disruption to library users, especially children.
The Marcus Garvey Library is situated in the fifth most ethnically diverse borough in the country, and almost two-thirds of the borough's residents come from an ethnic minority background. Haringey is also the fourth most deprived borough in London, with 1 in 3 children living in poverty. And although the Marcus Garvey Library was in some ways like any other local community library, to many residents it was also something much more profound.
More than 2,000 people signed a petition to stop the refurbishment plans, and on 30 August, the date of the closure, a protest was held outside the library building. It gained support from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Tottenham MP David Lammy. Former children's laureate Michael Rosen has also showed his support.
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