Marcus Garvey and the UNIA
Relating to Malcolm X
*Marcus Garvey (1887-1940)- Jamaican political leader, publisher, entrepreneur, public speaker and a huge part of black nationalism.
*Founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in August of 1914 an organization made in order to unite all blacks to return to their origin in Africa
*His philosophy made him one of the most controversial black men ever
- Malcolm's father, Reverend Earl Little, was a dedicated organizer for Marcus Garvey's U.N.I.A. during the time when Marcus had headquarters in Harlem
- Both Malcom's father and Marcus believed "freedom, independence, and self-respect" could not be achieved to a Negro in America with the white man over him
- Reverend Little risked life and died to spread Garvey's ideas; connected with people's lives; rose pride
- Malcolm went to U.N.I.A meetings and saw the passion, heard about followers all over
Final Thoughts
"I have never understood why, after hearing as much as I did of these kind of things, I somehow never thought, then, of the black people in Africa. My image of Africa, at that time, was of naked savages, cannibals, monkeys and tigers and steaming jungles." -Malcolm X
- back to quote Garvey said about people not knowing about their own culture
- brainwashed by whites
- Ideas inspired people during that time and gave them pride
- Would it be a bad idea to take a race of people and confine them all in one place?
Marcus Garvey and Civil Rights
-During the 1920's and around the time the U.N.I.A there was huge segregation and the KKK started to terrorize blacks
-Garvey gave Africans pride and hope during this time; telling them they did not have to deal with it and they should go back home
-Many followers, big inspiration
Universal Negro Improvement Association (1914)
- New York Division of the UNIA in 1917 with 13 members -> August 1920, the UNIA claimed around four million members
- Back-to-Africa movement encouraged black to return to their ancestors (helped achieve goal of UNIA)
- The Negro World founded August 17, 1918 weekly newspaper spread organization ideas with a front-page editorial by Garvey
- Many buisnesses the UNIA created to help get to misson and inform people about ideas: Black Star Line (symbol of black power), ect