Our success educationally, industrially and politically is based

When the fiery prophet Marcus Garvey declared, “Our success educationally, industrially and politically is based upon the protection of a nation founded by ourselves. And the nation can be nowhere else but in Africa,” he was not speaking as a dreamer alone, but as a herald of destiny. His words burned with the call of return, of unity, of self-determination for a people scattered by chains and oppression. For Garvey understood that without a foundation, without a homeland, all victories in foreign lands remain fragile, exposed to the winds of hostility. True success, he taught, must rest upon sovereignty, upon a people standing upon their own soil, shaping their own fate.

The ancients themselves knew this truth. The Israelites, though captive in Egypt and scattered in Babylon, found their hope not in wealth or temporary prosperity, but in the promise of a land of their own. Without it, they were wanderers; with it, they were a nation. So too did Garvey proclaim: the children of Africa, dispersed across oceans and continents, could never know their full power until they were rooted once more in the soil of their ancestors. For a tree cannot thrive forever in borrowed ground—it must return to its own earth to grow strong.

History testifies to the wisdom of his cry. In the years after colonialism, the rise of independent African nations became the living echo of Garvey’s vision. Nations such as Ghana, under Kwame Nkrumah, became beacons for Pan-Africanism, calling the scattered children of the diaspora to join in rebuilding the continent. Their struggles, their victories, and their growing pains all bore witness to Garvey’s teaching: that only through political and cultural sovereignty could true advancement—educationally, industrially, politically—be secured.

Garvey himself planted the seeds of this movement through his Universal Negro Improvement Association, gathering millions under the banner of unity and pride. He preached that Black people must look to themselves for salvation, not to the governments of others. He spoke of ships, of commerce, of building institutions and returning to Africa to establish a mighty nation. His was a voice of thunder against the lie of inferiority, declaring instead the coming of strength, dignity, and freedom. His words were not only for his time, but for generations yet to rise.

The meaning of Garvey’s words is thus twofold. First, he teaches that no people can be secure until they control their own destiny, free from the whims of foreign powers. Second, he reminds us that pride in one’s heritage is not enough without structure, without the shield of a nation. To be protected is not to be sheltered by another’s hand, but to stand together under one’s own banner, guided by one’s own vision. This is why he insisted that the nation could be nowhere else but Africa—for Africa is not merely land, but origin, identity, and destiny.

The lesson for us today is profound. Whatever our heritage, true success requires roots, sovereignty, and unity. We cannot rely forever on systems that were not built for our flourishing. Instead, we must build, plant, and protect what is ours—whether it be a nation, a community, or even a household. To educate ourselves, to build industries, to shape politics—these things cannot be left in the hands of others. They must be founded, nurtured, and guarded by ourselves, for only then do they endure.

Practical wisdom follows. If you are of the African diaspora, learn of your history and honor your heritage. Support African nations in their rise, in business, in education, in culture. If you are of another lineage, take Garvey’s teaching to heart as well: build upon your roots, protect your own foundations, and do not abandon your heritage for borrowed shelters. In every people, the principle holds true—self-determination is the shield of true success.

Therefore, let us remember the words of Marcus Garvey as a command to generations: “Our success… is based upon the protection of a nation founded by ourselves.” For nations rise and fall, but those who return to their roots, who guard their soil and honor their destiny, endure. And as Garvey declared, for the children of Africa, the homeland is Africa itself—mother of civilization, cradle of humanity, and eternal foundation for a future yet to be built.