In 1905 he moved to Kingston , where he boarded in Smith Village , a working class neighbourhood . In the city , he secured work with the printing division of the P.A. Benjamin Manufacturing Company . He rose quickly through the company ranks , becoming their first Afro-Jamaican foreman . His sister and mother , by this point estranged from his father , moved to join him in the city . In January 1907 , Kingston was hit by an earthquake that reduced much of the city to rubble . He , his mother , and his sister were left to sleep in the open for several months . In March 1908 , his mother died . While in Kingston , Garvey converted to Roman Catholicism . Garvey became a trade unionist and took a leading role in the November 1908 print workers ' strike . The strike was broken several weeks later and Garvey was sacked . Henceforth branded a troublemaker , Garvey was unable to find work in the private sector . He then found temporary employment with a government printer . As a result of these experiences , Garvey became increasingly angry at the inequalities present in Jamaican society
Kingston was hit by an earthquake
1907 Kingston earthquake
Marcus Garvey