Oral History Benchmark - Errion Holness

Transcript

Date Recorded: May 16, 2014 Time: 5:51am

E.H. : Hi, My name is Errion Holness and I’ll be interviewing my grandmother, Phanseta Campbell.

E.H. : Okay, Um, Well we wanted to talk about how you experienced the Civil Rights Movement? Do you know anything that comes right at the top of your mind?

P.C.: Hmm? …(?) What am I going to say?

E.H. : What ever you know. What ever you feel thats like the first thing that everybody should know about the Civil Rights Movement in Jamaica.

P.C. : This now says that during the Civil Rights Movement, We are talking about somebody [that] you know in it.

E.H. : Eh hmm.

P.C. : Eh heh eh heh. Them pickney write it give me en nuh because mi forgot bout’ dem dey somethin. (Those kids gave me this to read because I don’t remember much about those things) [Editors note: She is referring to my cousins or her other grandchildren who helped her out and she is speaking in the Jamaican Dialect called Patois (Patwa).] Em hm, But This was Marcus Garvey, We talkin about you see.

E.H. : Em hmm

P.C. : Because he was one the men them [and] he was also in the politics business, too.

E.H. :Eh hmm

P.C. : Eh hm, But in this, So this was what he was saying, During the Civil Rights Movement Marcus Garvey was banned from the U.S. What? *in a high pitched voice*

E.H. : Mm, He was banned?

P.C. : Yes.

E.H. : Mm.

P.C. : That mean say he couldn’t come.

E.H. : Ohh.

P.C. : Them stop him from coming and You know why he was banned from the U.S. and was almost jailed.

E.H. : For what?

P.C. : For sending multiple letters to the black community stating that they should return to Africa because the white population will not accept them for their *corrects herself* the color of their skin.

E.H. : Ohh.

P.C. : Because they were black. You understand?

E.H. : Eh hmm

P.C. : He were sending to tell them say they don’t need [to] come or to go back to Africa because they will not be accepted here. [U.S] You Understand?

E.H. : Eh hmm Ohh Um

P.C. : So they find out say him was doing that

E.H. : Eh hmm

P.C. :[It] come to their attention the States Department *rambling while trying to read off of paper* informed the U.S. consulate general in Jamaica to refuse Garvey a visa [to] come back here. [U.S.]

E.H. : Ohh.

P.C. : That’s when they find out what he was doing.

E.H. : Eh hmm.

P.C. : Eh hm.

E.H. : So it was like both sides, U.S. didn’t want him and Jamaica didn’t want him.

P.C. : No. Eh eh U.S. [don’t] want him [to] come back because them find out what he was doing.

E.H. : Oh.

P.C. :You Understand?

E.H. :Eh hm

P.C. : Eh hm

E.H. :Ohh

P.C. : In Jamaica, Now they were banning him from coming up here. [U.S.]

E.H. : Em hm

P.C. : Em hm So they [not supposed to] give him no visa when him come a ahh… *loss of word* Because remember say Jamaica Visa place [is at] America *corrects herself* Jamaica. [That’s where you have to go] to get your visa.

E.H. : Eh hm

P.C. : Them refuse him from getting the visa to come back here because of what he was doing

E.H. : Mm hmm

P.C. : Mm hm

E.H. : And Can you remind me of what he was doing?

P.C. : Mm hmm. Sending letters. Writing the black people.

E.H. : Ohh.

P.C. : They are not to stay here and must go back to Africa because they don’t appreciate them here because of the color of their skin because they are black.

E.H. : Em hm True.

P.C. : Em hm That’s just it. *continues to read off of paper* To refuse.. Yes.. Jamaica to refuse Garvey a visa in view of his activities in political *struggles with word and handwriting* and race agitation of being temporarily detained by the U.S. immigration .

E.H. : Um, So Grandma, Let’s go into.. About You.. Um, In Jamaica Do you know of, without this, any other Civil Rights Leaders? That like really, help you guys back then?

P.C. : Eh mm I only know about Busta.

E.H. : Buster?

P.C. : I didn’t really know about Manley. [I know of] Bustamante and Manley. They were standing up for the poor citizens of Jamaica.

E.H. : Eh hm.

P.C. : Eh hm. Because they were political activists. People who were in the political arena.

E.H. : Eh hm.

P.C. : *rambles while reading paper again* So because of that now, Jamaican citizens were robbed of the opportunity to obtain a visa to be allowed in the U.S. You understand? Because of what Marcus Garvey did.

E.H. : Wait,  who were um refused? The black people?  

P.C. : The Jamaicans.

E.H. : Eh hm.

P.C. : Eh hm. Because of what Garvey was doing. The citizens of Jamaica were refused.

E.H. : Ohh. Okay

P.C. : At that time. Eh hm. Jamaican citizens were robbed of the opportunity to obtain a visa to be allowed in the U.S. You understand? .

E.H. : Yeah.

P.C. : Mm hm Mm hm

E.H. : Okay

P.C. : Because what he was doing was against the American government. You understand?

E.H. : Mm hmm.

P.C. : Cause he was advising the Africans that they should not.

E.H. : ..stay here.

P.C. : You understand?

E.H. : Mm hmm. Alright Grandma Thank You for giving me time