A True Jamaican Son
A true son of Jamaica, Professor Robert Hill was educated at St. George’s College in Kingston, the University of London, the University of Toronto and then to the University of the West Indies, Mona, where he obtained a Masters Degree in Political Science in. His thesis focused on Marcus Garvey’s Political Activities in Jamaica between 1927 and 1935.
Professor Hill’s interest in the subject of Garvey provided him with an analytical framework for his quest to redress what he identified as the “lack of a substantive sense of national loyalty in Jamaica” during the pre-Independence period. Professor Hill describes himself as a lifelong student of the Garvey movement. His keen interest in Garvey and his work was initiated by his late uncles, Frank Augustus Hill, a renowned journalist and labour activist; and Ken Hill, the then Mayor of the City of Kingston, whose responsibilities facilitated his exposure to Garveyites in Jamaica. The effects of these encounters led Professor Hill to conclude, “Garveyism is not just a set of beliefs. It is an ethos in the conduct of life”.
This internalisation of Garvey’s influence on world history is epitomised in Professor Robert Hill’s career undertakings. He is a Professor of History in the James S. Coleman African Studies Centre at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Within this portfolio, he established and became the Editor-in-Chief of The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project. To date he has edited ten volumes in the series.
Internationally, Professor Hill is recognised as a leading authority on Garvey and the history of the Garvey movement and has served on several advisory committees. He was guest curator of the NEH-funded Marcus Garvey Centenary Exhibition at the Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture, New York. He was an advisor to the Government of Jamaica on its Garvey centennial activities. Professor Hill was also the Executive Consultant in the production of the film, Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind.
Professor Hill has lectured and written widely on the Garvey movement, and has edited several documentary collections, including The Black Man, the complete run of Garvey's final journal, and The Crusader, a facsimile reprint edition of Cyril Briggs's influential journal of the African Blood Brotherhood.
In 1992, Professor Hill was awarded the Institute of Jamaica’s Gold Musgrave Medal for his outstanding work in positioning Garvey in the annals of World history; as well as the Lyman Butterfield award from the Association for Documentary Editing.
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