Published by KYW Newsradio
WILMINGTON, Del. (KYW News radio) — With the biopic “Bob Marley: One Love” riding a wave of success at the box office, a Delaware woman who is a second cousin to the late reggae icon, says her plan to build a museum dedicated to Jamaican heritage is picking up speed.
Judy Malcolm says the mission of the Jamaican Heritage and Reggae Museum will be to educate people about the Caribbean island nation’s rich history and culture. Delaware is home to over 6,000 Jamaicans, and Wilmington has the largest contingent in the state within that group.
“A lot of people go to the island because we have the music and the food and the Patois — the language,” Malcolm said. “What seems to be happening is you can’t say reggae music without Bob.”
Marley spent some time in Wilmington, where his mother Cedella Booker had lived, in the 1970s.
Judy Malcolm wants to create a Jamaican heritage museum in Wilmington to educate people about the Caribbean island nation’s rich history and culture. Photo credit courtesy of Judy Malcolm
“He was not here in Wilmington for a long time,” Malcolm said. “His family is here, and he came back to Wilmington a lot when he was alive. He was very close to his family.”
Malcolm’s plan was to attend the movie’s premiere at the Cinemark Christiana and XD movie theater with family and snap a quick group photo — but she says it turned into a miniature reunion, and even more than that. Mayor Michael Purzycki presented the family with a proclamation, recognizing Black History Month and Bob Marley’s legacy.
The family had invited Purzycki to join them to talk about their history and to discuss the ways they preserve and celebrate Jamaican culture in Wilmington.
Plans for the museum are still in their infancy, but Malcolm says support is growing. In fact, she says, the project has taken off rather quickly.
“This was not supposed to happen so fast. It was something that I was building slowly — was trying to get all of my inventory together and put together the website, because it’s an idea in the making,” Malcolm said.
She says the museum will be a place where all can come together and appreciate the culture — the food, the music, the warm island and friendly people. These are the things Malcolm wants museum visitors to get a good taste of.
“There’s one thing that is important, is our vibe,” she said. “There’s something about the Jamaican vibe that kind of encompasses the whole thing about our culture.”
She adds, the story and legacy of Bob Marley will be just one part of the collection.
“Fortunately for us, they come together,” Malcolm said. “Part of the richness of Jamaica is Bob Marley, and that is what enriches this museum and is definitely going to make people want to come.”
