As DeSantis hides Black history, Marcus Garvey deserves to have his true story taught

Editor’s Note: Justin Hansford is a Howard University law professor, executive director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center and elected member of the U.N. Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. His forthcoming book on the Marcus Garvey trial, “Jailing a Rainbow: The Marcus Garvey case,” will be released later this year under the imprint of Black Classic Press. Shaq Al-Hijaz is a second-year law student at Howard University and extern at the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center. The views expressed in this commentary are their own. Read more opinion on CNN.

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Earlier this month, President Joe Biden called out the GOP for “trying to hide the truth” about Black history. While politicians like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin have described their efforts to reform education as bans on teaching critical race theory, in reality, these bans have been invoked to prohibit teaching elements of American history, especially Black history.

The suppression of stories integral to the American narrative not only robs us of important historical lessons, but also warps our vision of ourselves and our future — and makes all of our lives less rich.

With some of this country’s most powerful political figures trying to obscure the story of Black history, now is a good time to tell the true stories of Black leaders in America — particularly ones like Marcus Garvey, who was the subject of injustice and distortion. Known superficially as a “Back to Africa” advocate (as in, repatriating Black people to the African continent), Garvey actually founded what might well have been the largest human rights campaign in the history of the African Diaspora. At its zenith, Garvey’s organization boasted a membership of at least 6 million people with chapters registered in more than 40 nations. It provided inspiration for the life’s work of many important Black leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.

The Jamaican-born Garvey energized millions by calling for an end to colonialism in Africa, for economic justice for the entire African Diaspora and for cultural and political recognition and independence 100 years ago — a time when such declarations were just about…