The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey

Companion documents to this Learning Series:

Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World Constitution of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, ,1918

RBG Communiversity

If you have no confidence in self you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you have started

Jamaican born nationalist leader, Marcus Garvey, attended school until he was only 14. In 1910, he traveled to Central America. He served as the editor for the daily newspaper, La Nacion while living in Colon, Panama. In 1912, he returned to Jamaica, but soon left for London to attend Birbeck College.

When he returned to Jamaica in 1914, Garvey and Amy Ashwood co-founded the Universal Negro Improvement and Conservation Association and African Communities League. The association became known as the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA).

Through this organization, Garvey sought to organize blacks throughout the world and create societies in Africa. He also wanted to establish an independent black economy based on capitalism.

In Jamaica, the UNIA failed to attract a substantial following so Garvey came to New York in 1916. He established branches of the UNIA throughout the northern cities. He also began publishing his newspaper, Negro World. His publication incited considerable attention. In Belize and other countries, it was considered seditious and was confiscated.

By 1919, his following had reached 4,000,000. That same year he established the shipping company, the Black Star Line and the Negro Factories Corporation. He also opened a chain of restaurants, grocery stores, laundries, a hotel, and a printing press.

Lessons from The Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey

The U.S. government began to notice Garveys activities. In 1919, the Bureau of Investigation started to monitor his actions. With the intent to eventually deport him, the bureau began to gather evidence of his actions that related to the Black Star Line.

During his peak in popularity, in 1920, he presided over the UNIAs first international convention. The convention included delegates from 25 countries. Among the actions taken was the adoption of The Declaration of Rights of the Negro People of the World and the election of Garvey as the Provisional President of Africa.

The RED, BLACK and GREEN

Flag was unveiled to the world by the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey and the members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, of the World at it's first international convention on August 13, 1920. The UNIA-ACL knew that Africans at home and abroad needed there own flag as other flags around the world could not represent the collective of African people.

The Pledge
I commit my body mind and Spirit to the protection defense and security of the Red, Black and Green. I dedicate my life to the redemption of Mother Africa and the Liberation of her scattered Black children. I accept for myself and my descendants the teachings of Universal African Nationalism and I promise that our children will be instilled with the purpose and knowledge of themselves as African People in order that the cause of our struggle will neither falter nor fail until all Black people are free and united

Despite his following, Garveys ideology of racial purity and separatism failed to gain the support of black leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois.

In addition, in 1922, the Black Star Line was dissolved. Garveys other businesses also failed. Garvey received an additional blow when he was indicted for mail fraud for the sale of Black Star Line stock. In 1923, he was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1925, he began serving his prison sentence.

After President Calvin Coolidge commuted his sentence in 1927, he was deported to Jamaica.

Our King died in with a broken heart in London, England in 1940.

God and Nature first made us what we are, and then out of our own created genius we make ourselves what we want to be. Follow always that great law. Let the sky and God be our limit and Eternity our measurement.

Let it be your constant method to look into the design of people's actions, and see what they would be at, as often as it is practicable; and to make this custom the more significant, practice it first upon yourself.

PDF e-Book and mp3 Downloads

RBG BHM Special Education

Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey

Afrikan-Centered Consciousness versus the New World Order- Garveyism in the Age of Globalism

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