1. Marcus Garvey Leader of the African- American Community

2. Background Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica 1887. –Jamaica was 90% black and a colony of Britain. In 1901, he left school and worked as a printer From 1912-14 he lived in London

3. Black Nationalism Garvey joined groups seeking Jamaican independence from Britain. A nationalist always calls for change. What kind? –Political: Asia and Africa began calling for independence in 1919 –Cultural: The Harlem Renaissance, 1920s –Social: The Civil Rights Movement 1955 –Economic: This was Garvey! The 1920’s was a time of roaring prosperity in US. Garvey, a businessman, wanted prosperity for African-Americans.

4. The UNIA In Jamaica, Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association, which was a combination of black nationalism and black capitalism Garvey became a publisher with a weekly paper, The Negro World. By the early 1920’s, UNIA had –2 million members –700 chapters in 38 states –Several hundred chapters worldwide Moved to NYC –In 1916, at age 29, Garvey set up a chapter of UNIA in NYC. –He regarded it as a business: He set up a business charter and incorporated it in the state of New York.

5. Black Pride “Black is Beautiful” was an idea first expressed by Garvey. This is a break from the past –Did not accept that Africans or African- Americans were inferior. –Congressman Rangel (D, NY) said, “Garvey was one of the first to say that instead of blackness being a stigma, it should be a source of pride.”

6. The Harlem Renaissance Garvey lived in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance. The Black is Beautiful idea spread through Harlem, inspiring many to begin to identify with their African roots. –Remember, the Harlem Renaissance was a time of great cultural flowering for African-American artists, novelists, and poets. Parades in NYC –NYC has always had parades for ethnic groups. St. Patrick Day, Irish; Columbus Day, Italians. –Garvey put on parades for African Americans.

7. Black Capitalism You cannot understand Garvey until you understand his desire to be a businessman. Businessmen need investors (investors were white) which was an almost impossible task for an African American in 1914. Garvey was hoping that by raising consciousness, he could raise capital. He asked black investors to invest in black-owned businesses

8. Garvey’s Businesses A shipping line: The Black Star Line –Founded in 1919, the shipping line was designed to transport Products from his businesses (Negro Factories Corporation, 1920) Passengers between the US, Caribbean, and Africa Factories: the Negro Factories Corporation –Given time, factories would be set up to produce in the US and abroad. A University: Liberty University –UNIA bought Liberty University, in Claremont, VA, in 1923. –Garvey was an industrial training school, like Tuskegee Institute. –Its graduates would run the black-owned factories.

9. Back to Africa Garvey’s goal was to take Africa back from European domination and build a free and United Black Africa. Garvey preached that African- Americans should regard Africa as their home. –He saw it as the ancestral home and the spiritual base for all people of African descent. The Motherland. Garvey set up his businesses as part of an overall program to conduct trade between black Africans and the rest of the world in order to “uplift the race” and eventually return to Africa. Garvey preached to African Americans, who were made to feel ashamed of their heritage, that they should feel proud of their heritage.

10. Tapping into Dissatisfaction For those who were dissatisfied with America, Garvey offered Africa as a new hope. –In some ways, Garvey despaired of things ever getting better for African-Americans in the US. He certainly was not the only one. Many southern African-American migrants to the cities of the north did not find the land of equality they were expecting. Instead, they found overcrowded conditions, race riots, price gouging, discrimination, and higher unemployment rates. –He believed that a country with a white majority would never give justice to the black minority. WEB DuBois came to believe the same thing, and he moved to Ghana in 1961.

11. Liberia In 1822, former US slaves founded the Africa nation of Liberia. –The capital city of Liberia is named Monrovia, after US President James Monroe. In 1922, Garvey marked the 100 th anniversary with an idea: –If life in the US was hard, why not go back to Africa? –The Black Star line of ships were ready to take people In 1921, Garvey sent his first delegation to Monrovia.

12. A Fatal Error In 1922, Marcus Garvey met with the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan –The KKK agreed with Garvey: African- Americans should return to Africa. –Remember that in 1922, the KKK was in its heyday. By doing this, Garvey lost many supporters.

13. Garvey’s downfall In 1922, the federal government cracked down on Garvey –The Gov’t said that Garvey made false claims when selling stock to investors. –He was indicted on mail fraud. –Picture: Federal agents arrest Garvey Garvey was imprisoned in an Atlanta, GA federal prison and deported to Jamaica in 1927. –Garvey in Atlanta federal prison In 1935, he moved to London. He died in 1940, and is buried in Kingston, Jamaica.

14. Garvey’s Impact Malcolm X, a leading black nationalist of the 1960’s, encouraged people to set up and patronize black-owned businesses. –To him, black nationalism and black capitalism went hand-in-hand Rastafarians –Today, Rastafarians regard themselves as citizens of Africa, not Jamaica. Symbol today –Many places and events are named after Garvey, like Marcus Garvey Park in East Harlem, NYC.