Big Apple History . Business and Politics . Marcus Garvey


	Marcus Garvey

During the 1920s, many African Americans experienced prejudice and poverty in New York and elsewhere in the U.S. In response to these dire conditions, Jamaican-born activist Marcus Garvey founded an organization to boost black pride. The goal of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) was to unify "all the Negro peoples of the world into one great body and establish a country and government absolutely on their own." Garvey argued that since blacks would never receive racial justice in the white-dominated U.S., they should move to Africa. The UNIA was the first mass movement among the nation's black working class. He inspired millions of poorer African Americans to take pride in their heritage.

At a time when many African-American leaders tried to fight racial discrimination through gradual reform, Garvey supported a radical approach. His passionate speeches, and newspaper, NEGRO WORLD, promoted black separatism. Garvey used contributions from his supporters to found African-American-run businesses such as an ocean liner company called the Black Star Line (a twist on England's White Star Line). The company planned to transport blacks from America to Africa.

To raise money for his company, Garvey tried to sell stock through the mail. Acting on tip-offs from opponents of Garvey, the U.S. government charged him with mail fraud and eventually sent him to prison. In 1927, Garvey was deported back to his homeland of Jamaica.

Illustration: Courtesy of Culver Pictures.