Leonard Percival Howell, The Founding Father of The Rastafari Movement, was born at Red Lands in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. W.I. on June 16th, 1898. The first born of 11 children born to parents Charles Theophilus Howell and Clementina Bennett in Red Hills, Clarendon, Jamaica. His parents were independent farmers and business owners. His father was also a lay preacher in the Red Lands Anglican Church
As a child of around 13, from high up in a tree on his father's land, Leonard witnessed the murder of a woman called Caroline by her boyfriend Edward. Whether on his own accord or on the instructions of his father, Leonard refused to testify against Edward, as his recently qualified lawyer, J.A.G Smith was considered "the poor man's barrister" and "champion of the black man" in post-emancipation Jamaica. Without Leonard's witness testimony, the case against Edward collapsed and the prosecutor in the case, H.M. Radcliffe, never forgot this case, nor the name of Leonard Percival Howell.
In order to avoid the persecution of Leonard by the thwarted state, it is thought that Leonard's father (as a big (as a big player in the Jamaican banana export industry) arranged to smuggle his son aboard a cargo ship that left for America in 1912. Leonard was 14 and apparently went to live with relatives in New York (although there is no record of him in the USA until much later).
1916 found a now 18 year old Leonard in Panama, perhaps looking to join the masses finding work there building the canal. But the canal having been completed in 1914, work was scarce. With Britain having joined the First World War in 1915, tens of thousands of colonial men enlisted in the British West Indies Regiment. Charles had raised his sons to have respect for the armed forces and Leonard joined the Regiment in 1916. But he never went to the front - records are once again strangely absent, but it is possible that Leonard was involved in one of a series of mutinies, as rumors abounded that black soldiers were being used as canon-fodder. Leonard's explanation is that he was in fact a cook on an American warship, from which he disembarked in New York in 1918, two weeks before the end of the war. He then travelled the world on 5 different ships (always returning to New York as his home-port) for the next 6 years, before applying for U.S. Citizenship in 1924.
During his time at sea and his frequent visits to New York, Leonard had been exposed to multiple "radical" and influential Black leaders, whom although had different approaches, all spoke of freeing Africans from colonial powers, and self-improvement through education, consciousness, political action and economic independence. He also witnessed for himself the consistently abhorrent treatment of Black people in every country he visited, and the seeds were sewn for his life's work.
Leonard worked in various jobs in New York, before opening a tea room in Harlem in 1929, a famous haven for preachers and radicals, and a stronghold for Garvey's UNIA. No-one is sure of what happened next, for once again, no records seem to exist. Some say Garvey accused Leonard of being an "Obeahman" (which he certainly wasn't, but he was widely considered a "healer") and pulled away from the connection (this looks unlikely since they rejoined forces later, back in Jamaica). Others report than he was deported for "nefarious" crimes, although no criminal records have ever been found in New York. It is possible that, like tens of thousands of others, Leonard simply returned to Jamaica in the depression that followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929.He died in Kingston, Jamaica. W.I. in 1981. He was born a hero, a scholar and beyond the shadow of a doubt died a hero defending his race.
During the 1920’s, black men and women were living in an era of racial discrimination, bigotry, oppression, segregation and encountered brutality and endless violence. It was not easy for Howell who had fallen victim to hated, bigotry and oppression to stand aside and look. He was convinced it was his responsibility that he committed his life by taking a personal stand against the forces of hated, oppression and injustice. He traveled to many cities and countries, preached among all groups of people to help raise the conscience of the public. He encouraged Black Leaders so that every individual would work and create a world in which genocide will not occur again. He had the support of many African Leaders and Head of states like Kwame Nkrumah, Dr. W.E. Dubois, Bishop Johnson of Lagos, Benito Sylvain of Ethiopia and Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya and black revolutionaries like Marcus Garvey and his UNIA, added to his political and spiritual development in the United States.
The Struggle
The incubation period of the movement occurred in the slums of Kingston between 1930 and 1933. Satisfied with the success of the new movement and having set up a nucleus in the capitol, Howell decided to evangelize its members throughout the island. To finance his project, he is reported to have made photographs of the newly crowned King Haile Selassie, and sold them at a shilling each. Sources say he sold five thousand copies in a very short time. Relentlessly, he travelled throughout the City of Kingston, St Thomas and other parts of Jamaica preaching. He performed the role of catalytic agent in teaching the radical millenarian consciousness that based itself on the doctrine of the divine kingship of Ethiopia’s Ras Tafari. He preached the Ivinity of Haile Selassie 1 as a MAN- GOD ( the concept of God being in a man or human form was very prevalent during ancient times, especially, in Africa and Eastern spiritual practices) In the Rastafari philosophy, the re-incarnation of Haile Selassie as God transformed in the flesh is the pillar of the belief systems and doctrine.
He was most successful at St. Thomas, the neighbouring parish to Kingston. This had been the scene of the 1865 Morant Bay Rebellion, thus was a ripe area for revolutionary doctrine. On January 5, 1934, the Daily Gleaner of Jamaica reported the arrest of Leonard Howell in St. Thomas, for it was reported that the movement had taken a radical revolutionary stance. The arrest resulted from on an open-air meeting held in the village of Trinityville, St. Thomas, on December 16, 1933. At that time Howell had advocated six principles: 1, hatred for the White race, 2, the complete superiority of the Black race, 3, revenge on Whites for their wickedness, 4, the negation, persecution and humiliation of the government and legal bodies of Jamaica, 5, preparation to go back to Africa, and 6, acknowledging Emperor Haile Selassie as the Supreme Being and only ruler of Black people. This first glimpse of the new doctrine that launched the Rastafari movement has not changed over the years. Needless to say, Howell's conviction for seditious activities followed and the Rastafari received their first island publicity.
The daily Gleaner reported that crowds of people gathered in Court House Square at Morant Bay for a glimpse of the alleged seditionist and his followers charged with less serious offences. Among those charged were Robert Hinds, and Leonard Howell. Howell, who was reported to be the representative of Ras Tafari, King of the Ethiopians on the island, was charged with uttering a seditious speech in which he abused the government of both Great Britain and the island. He was accused of intention to excite hatred and contempt for His Majesty the King of England and those responsible for the government of the island, to create dissatisfaction among the subjects of His Majesty, and for disturbing the public peace and tranquillity. Howell pleaded not guilty, but the jury wasted very little time in reaching a guilty verdict. The case was tried before the Acting Resident Magistrate for the parish of St. Thomas, Ansel O. Thompson. The magistrate called Howell a fraud and sentenced him to two years imprisonment ay hard labor; Hinds, his deputy, was given a sentence of one year. With the sudden arrest and imprisonment of the leader of the Rastafari, both the government and the concerned citizens of the island suspected that they had silenced the potential seeds of violence in His Majesty's domain. but, to the cultists, the setback was temporary. Trusted lieutenants assumed that activities of the movement and the movement grew in size and stature. Instead of sending Howell straight to prison, the distasteful colonial government first sent him yo Bellvue mental institution to shrink his stature and label him as crazy in the eyes of black people. Following the release of Howell and Hinds from prison, Howell organized and registered on February 18th, 1939 what is known as the "Ethiopian Salvation Society" which is The Rastafari Movement.with its Constitution and By-laws. Along with the industrial Mission at Pinnacle, Leonard Percival Howell grounded "Black Supremacy" in Jamaica British W.I which calls for Rastafari to write a New Dictionary, a New Bible, appoint a New Board of Education and Money Mint. He quietly recruited and moved a large following and by the year 1940, the Pinnacle Industrial Mission commune deep in the hills of St. Catherine overlooking the city of Kingston was home. At Pinnacle Howell continued his bakery and alternative heath business while feeding the hungry masses.
Howell became the most successful teacher of Rastafari doctrine. He enjoined black people to be PROUD of heritage and culture, to have their own “Money” Banks, be self-motivated, strong self-sufficient, where black economies would triumph and to hold high the value of education. Furthermore, he preached to show respect, love and honor. He said, “The white man's doctrine has forced the black man to forsake silver and gold and seek heaven after death. It has brought us to live in disgrace and die in dishonour”
King Ras Tafari of Ethiopia was sent as the Messiah, to free the minds of Africans who had been enslaved mentally and physically. King Ras Tafari taught us to go beyond the height of consciousness and accept that the black man too have a GOD that is made in the image of a BLACK man, same as the White GOD is made in the image of a white man, an Indian GOD is made in the image of Indian man, an Oriental GOD made in the image of a Oriental man etc.
Despite the fact that Howell became the most persecuted man in the history of Jamaica, he must be credited for purchasing over 1500 acres of Land at Pinnacle in Sligoville, St. Catherine Jamaica. It was the centre of the Rastafari Movement, the first free slave, self sufficient and economically empowered African village in Jamaica (an historical move) Many generation of African slaves , in the thousands , came from rural and urban Jamaica settled on the land and made their vision a reality. They lived a natural way of life, in harmony with the universe, showed love and peace to all race and color, lived in unity worked collectively , uphold culture, heritage, freedom and justice, Many who were farmers planted organic food ,other who were skilled in arts and craft made household items. In addition, herbal medicine, roots, tonics and other produces were supplies and sold to the local government, private and public sectors.
Howell was a man of great vision, and mystic spirituality. He created codes and principles based on the teaching of His Imperial Majesty, Haile Selassie 1 and developed the Ethioppian Salvation Society aka Rastafari Movement and the African Salvation Union as the vehicles to accomplish his works. These were the only organs created by Leonard Percival Howell. All other sects and bands were created by ones who strayed from his mission or were not part of it to begin with.
Howell’s favorite song:
“ We are not divided all one family
One in hope and justice
One in charity
We are going to a land where milk and honey flow
We are not divided - All one family.”
Before his death in February 1981 Howell once said:
" I am convinced that the children we are teaching today, will become vanguards and guardians to our freedom tomorrow and better citizens to defend our democracy and to ensure that generations to come will learn from the Holocaust of slavery, and keep the flame of remembrance burning. Help them to understand more about the past, that our history NEVER repeats itself so that we can create a better future for all human race.”