Samori Tarik Marksman (October 27, 1947 – March 23, 1999) was a Caribbean Pan-Africanist, Marxist, journalist, historian, political activist, teacher, and program director of

WBAI WBAI (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New York, New York. Its programming is a mixture of political news, talk and opinion from a left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoint, and eclectic musi ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

from 1994 until his death in 1999.

Biography

He was born Stanley Theodolph Marksman on the island of

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305 ...

to Sybil Providence and Stanley Marksman. He adopted the name Samori Tarik Marksman at the time he became a citizen of

Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...

in the 1970s, his work with the Guinean revolution earning him the Croix de Chivalry. During this period, Marksman lived in

Monrovia Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...

and taught at the

University of Liberia The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia Coll ...

and the

College of West Africa The College of West Africa is a Methodist high school in Monrovia, Liberia. The school was opened in 1839 as the Monrovia Seminary, making it one of the oldest European-style schools in Africa. It has produced many of Liberia's leaders. Alumni inc ...

while serving as director of the African division of the

-based Pan African Skills Project, which recruited scientists and individuals with technical know-how to teach in Africa."Remembering Samori Marksman"
''2600: The Hacker Quarterly'' On his return to the United States, Marksman founded and published the magazine '' Caribbean Perspective''. He was also a frequent contributor to '' Covert Action Quarterly'' and to the ''

New York Amsterdam News The ''Amsterdam News'' (also known as ''New York Amsterdam News'') is a weekly Black-owned newspaper serving New York City. It is one of the oldest newspapers geared toward African Americans in the United States and has published columns by s ...

''. From 1979 to 1983, Marksman was a publicist for the

New Jewel Movement The New Joint Endeavor for Welfare, Education, and Liberation, or New JEWEL Movement (NJM), was a Marxist–Leninist vanguard party in the Caribbean island nation of Grenada that was led by Maurice Bishop. Established in 1973, the NJM issued ...

Marxist-Leninist

People's Revolutionary Government of Grenada The People's Revolutionary Government (PRG) was proclaimed on 13 March 1979 after the Marxist–Leninist New Jewel Movement overthrew the government of Grenada in a revolution, making Grenada the only socialist state within the Commonwealth. ...

, in which capacity he was a co-producer of the documentary film ''Grenada: The Future Coming Toward Us'';
"Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us" his service ended with the US

Invasion of Grenada The United States and a Caribbean Peace Force, coalition of Caribbean countries invaded the small island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela, at dawn on 25 October 1983. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, it resulted in m ...

. Marksman taught journalism part-time at

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

. Marksman’s programs ''Behind the News'' and ''World View'' offered analyses of the news from a leftist perspective. Goodman, Amy
"Tribute to Samori Marksman: A Man Who Democratized the Voices of the People"
''

Democracy Now! ''Democracy Now!'' is an hour-long TV, radio, and Internet news program based in Manhattan and hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show's executive producer), Juan González, and Nermeen Shaikh. The show, which airs live ...

'', April 1, 1999.Moorehead, Monica
"Samori Marksman: Respected anti-imperialist journalist dies"
/ref> Marksman died in 1999, survived by his wife Rita and his children Lindiwe, Zindzi, and Kaifa.Copage, Eric V.

''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', April 4, 1999.

References

Sources

* Kelly, Erin St. John

''New York Times'', June 15, 1998.
"Remembering Samori Marksman"
''2600: The Hacker Quarterly''.

External links

*
Louis Clayton Jones Esquire - "The Slaying of Amadou Diallo"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marksman, Samori Radio personalities from New York City Pacifica Foundation people Academic staff of the University of Liberia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines emigrants to the United States People from Saint Vincent (Antilles) 1947 births 1999 deaths