Marcus Mosiah Garvey Self Determination

The Black Blue Print!

Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. was born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica on August 17,
1887. In 1910, he began traveling throughout Central America, the Caribbean
and Europe. In his travels, he saw that Black people of the time owned nothing,
regardless of where he went in the world, and were not united. He was
determined to do something about it.

So, in 1914, he returned to Jamaica and founded the Universal Negro

Improvement Association (U.N.I.A.). The purpose of the organization was "to
unite all people of African ancestry of the world to one great body to establish
a country and absolute government of their own".

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Garvey moved to Harlem in 1916. He started speaking on street corners at
night and lecturing at various halls and churches, spreading his powerful
message of unity, social freedom, political freedom and economic freedom for
Black people. Garvey had an amazing ability to communicate his ideas in a
way that Black people could "feel" and relate to. In May of 1916, Garvey began
a historic 38-state tour and took the United States by storm.

In May of 1917, Garvey started the New York Division of the U.N.I.A. with 13
members. After only three months, the organization's dues-paying
membership reached 3,500. By June 1919, the membership of the U.N.I.A.
had grown to over 2 million members. By 1920, the U.N.I.A. had 1,100
chapters in 40 countries around the world. By 1926, the membership of the
U.N.I.A. had grown to over 6 million members. Marcus Garvey built the
largest Black organization in history, even to this day.

Marcus Garvey's built huge businesses, encouraged entrepreneurship, and got

millions of people buying from Black-owned business. He taught us all to be
proud of our race and to unite as a people. In his own words, he taught us all
to:

"Be Black, Buy Black, Think Black, and all else will take care of itself!".
The impact of Marcus Garvey has been huge. Inspired by his ideas, over 30
African countries have declared their freedom, and many sport Garvey's red,
black and green colors in their flag.

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Many Black leaders like the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm X, Dr.
Martin Luther King, Minister Louis Farrakhan and more, have all publicly
stated that they were inspired by Marcus Garvey. In 1969, the parliament of
Jamaica proclaimed Marcus Garvey as the country's first national hero.

Marcus Garvey's Black Businesses

Marcus Garvey has been called the angel of Black success. Garvey believed
economic success was the quickest and most effective way to independence.

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The Negro World was established in January 1918 as a weekly newspaper to
express the ideas of the organization. Garvey contributed a front-page editorial
each week in which he developed the organization's position on different issues
related to people of African ancestry around the world, in general, and the
U.N.I.A., in particular. Eventually reaching a circulation of five hundred
thousand, the newspaper was printed in several languages.It contained a page
specifically for women readers, documented international events related to
people of African ancestry, and was distributed throughout the African
diaspora until publication ceased in 1933.

In 1919 the U.N.I.A. purchased the first of what would be numerous Liberty
Halls (the name given to all U.N.I.A. meeting places). Located at 114 West
138th Street in New York City, the New York City Liberty Hall had a seating
capacity of six thousand. It was dedicated on July 27, 1919. Garvey held
nightly meetings at Liberty Hall that drew up to six thousand people at a time.
Later that year the Association organized the first of its two steamship
companies and a separate business corporation.

In 1919 he also established the Negro Factories Corporation and offered stock
for African Americans to buy. He raised one million dollars for the project. He
wanted to produce everything that a nation needed so that African Americans
could completely rely on their own efforts. It generated income and provided
jobs by its numerous enterprises, including a chain of grocery stores and
restaurants, steam laundry, tailor shop, dress making shop, millinery store
(clothing, fashion, hats, accessories, etc.), publishing house and doll factory.
In New York City alone, Garvey owned several buildings, owned a fleet
oftrucks and had over 1,000 Black people working in his businesses.

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 Marcus Garvey's U.N.I.A. also operated the Phyllis Wheatley Hotel (3-13
West 136th Street, New York, NY)

His most famous business venture was a shipping company known as the
Black Star Line. Garvey started the shipping company in 1919 as a way to
promote trade but also to transport passengers to Africa. He believed it could
also serve as an important and tangible sign of Black success. The Black Star
Line, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware as a U.S. domestic corporation on
June 27, 1919. It began with ten million dollars in investment capital. It sold
shares individually valued at five dollars to both U.N.I.A. members and non-
members alike. Proceeds from stock sales were used to purchase first the S.S.
Yarmouth and then the S.S. Shadyside. The Shadyside was used by the
Association for summer outings and excursions, as well as rented out on
charter to other organizations. The Black Star Line later purchased the

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Kanawha as its third vessel. This small yacht was intended for inter-island
transportation in the West Indies and was rechristened the S.S. Antonio
Maceo.

With the growth of its membership from 1918 through 1924, as well as, income
from its various economic enterprises, U.N.I.A. purchased additional Liberty
Halls in the USA, Canada, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Jamaica, and other
countries. Furthermore, U.N.I.A. purchased farms in Ohio and other states.
U.N.I.A. also purchased land in Claremont, Virginia with the intention of
founding Liberty University.

By 1920 the U.N.I.A. had over 1,100 chapters in more than 40 countries. Most
of the chapters were located in the United States, which had become the

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U.N.I.A.'s base of operations. There were, however, offices in several
Caribbean countries, with Cuba having the most. Chapters also existed in such
diverse countries as Panama, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Ghana, Sierra
Leone, Liberia, India, Australia, Nigeria, Namibia and Azania/South Africa.
In September, 1926 the U.N.I.A. celebrated the opening Liberty University.
They acquired Smallwood-Corey Industrial Institute located in Claremont,
Virginia. The school property included several buildings and sixty-six acres of
land along the St. James River. 56 young U.N.I.A. members became students
there beginning with the fall session in 1926.

Garvey's U.N.I.A. Convention In August, 1920

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For the entire month of August 1920, Marcus Garvey's U.N.I.A.-ACL
organization held its first international convention in New York City. Most
events were held at the New York Liberty Hall. It's biggest events were held at
New York City's world-famous Madison Square Garden. An estimated 25,000
Black people attended the convention from all around the world. Delegations
from 25 African countries were in attendances as well.

During the convention, they discussed and created a revolutionary document

called The Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World. It was one
of the earliest and most complete documents advocating human rights and
detailing the abuses against Black people worldwide. It also sought the uplift of
the Black race and encouraged self-reliance and nationhood.

On August 13, 1920, they voted and made the declaration official. One of the
most notable declarations of this document was one proclaiming the red, black
and green flag the official banner of the African race.

The red, black and green flag has become a symbol of Black unity and pride all
over the world. Many African countries sport the colors in their flags,

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symbolizing their inspiration by Marcus Garvey, including Ghana, Kenya,
Ethiopia and others. The red, black and green flag became a symbol of Black
pride, Black power, and Black nationalism in the 1960s. The African American
holiday Kwanzaa, founded in 1966, uses the colors red, black and green as
well.
Garvey Parades In Harlem, New York

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Marcus Garvey understood the importance of gathering Black people together
to experience Black unity and instill race pride. Garvey held phenomenal
conventions, the likes of which had never been seen before. Garvey opened his
conventions with parades in Harlem that featured 100,000 Black people
marching down Harlem streets. In these parades, members of the various
U.N.I.A. programs wore their uniforms and marched proudly as the finest
examples of Black excellence, discipline and unity most people had ever seen.
The parades featured the Black Cross Nurses, Universal African Motor Corps,
the Universal African Legion, The Juveniles, U.N.I.A. cultural/artistic groups
and other auxiliaries, bands, and international division representatives, all in
full ceremonial dress, carrying banners with the inscriptions: "Africa for the
Africans!", "The Negro Wants Liberty!", and "Liberty or Death!" They were the
greatest parades ever staged anywhere in the world by Black people.

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Marcus Garvey wore a purple and gold uniform with a feathered helmet.
Members of the U.N.I.A.'s male Universal African Legion dressed in striking
dark blue military uniforms. They studied military discipline as well as the
geography of Africa, mathematics, reading and writing and other subjects .
They were the most striking group of Black men ever seen by most Black people
of the day.

Garvey's African Black Cross Nurses were modeled after the Red Cross.
Although some members had formal medical training, most worked with
practical training in first aid and nutrition. The auxiliary performed benevolent
community work and provided public health services to black neighborhoods,
specializing in infant health and home care. In U.N.I.A. parades, the Black
Cross Nurses made a striking appearance in long hooded white robes or green
nursing uniforms.

Members of the female Universal African Motor Corps were trained in

automobile driving and repair, as well as military discipline and marched in
the parades in beautiful red, black and green uniforms.

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 Members of Garvey's Black Eagle Flying Corps were trained as airplane
pilots. They also wore red, black and green uniforms.

The Juvenile Divisions, the youth corps of the Garvey movement, were divided
into classes according to age. The infant class (ages one through seven) studied
the Bible, the doctrine of the U.N.I.A., and the history of Africa. After the age of
seven, the children were segregated by sex. Girls were taught sewing, boys
woodcraft, and both received further instruction in Black history, economics
and etiquette. After the age of thirteen, boys received military training to
prepare them for membership in the African Legion, while girls learned
hygiene and domestic science in order to prepare them to be Black Cross
Nurses. In the U.N.I.A. parades, the boys marched in blue uniforms and the
girls in green dresses.

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