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Ula Yvette Taylor’s The Veiled Garvey: The Life and Times of Amy Jacques Garvey, provides a more personal glimpse into Marcus Garvey and his movement, but Taylor shows that much of the legacy of Garvey and his movement comes from the contributions of his second wife. Indeed, Taylor makes it clear that Amy Jacques Garvey, like her husband, was not afraid to make let her voice be heard. Through Taylor’s analysis of the many memoirs, articles, books, and editorials that were written by Amy Jacques Garvey in many Black newspapers, but especially those within her own “Our Women and What They Think” section of The Negro World, Amy Garvey is shown to have consistently been a strong voice with in Garveyism. As Taylor points out, Amy Jacques Garvey began and edited the section of the newspaper, and in her nearly 200 written editorials between 1924 and 1927, was not afraid to challenge the deep-rooted oppressive systems of racism, patriarchy, or imperialism. What is most interesting about her perspective, however, is not only does it provide an “inside” glimpse of Marcus Garvey and how Amy related to his ideas and the movement, but also provides more of a feminist historical perspective on the early Black Nationalist movement. However, Taylor’s approach is not solely to focus on the political activist side (both in terms of Black Nationalism and in her feminist beliefs) of Amy Jacques Garvey’s life, but her equally important roles as a wife, mother, and a her role as a unifier to the Garveyite movement. Describing her personal history, it is interesting to note her particular racial and socio-economic status. Usually, one would think that a privileged member of society, and one who was ashamed of her father’s darker complexion, would not be attracted to the UNIA or to Garvey’s ideology.
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