The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey

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Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. (1887–1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He founded and led the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA), promoting black nationalism and Pan-Africanism, collectively called Garveyism.

• Early life: Born in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, to an Afro-Jamaican family. Trained as a printer. Lived in Central America and England before founding UNIA in Jamaica (1914).
• Move to U.S.: In 1916, set up a UNIA branch in Harlem, campaigning for unity between Africans and the African diaspora, independence from European colonial rule, and a Back-to-Africa migration movement.
• UNIA expansion (1918–1921): Incorporated the group, launched the Negro World newspaper, and rejected ads for skin-lightening or hair-straightening products. Membership expanded worldwide.
• Conflict with others: Advocated racial separatism, even meeting with the Ku Klux Klan—alienating leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois, who favored integration. Garvey called Du Bois a “reactionary under pay of white men.”
• Business ventures: Founded the Negro Factories Corporation and the Black Star Line shipping company to link North America and Africa.
• Legal troubles: Convicted of mail fraud in 1923 (seen by some as politically motivated), imprisoned, and deported to Jamaica in 1927.
• Later years: Founded the People’s Political Party in Jamaica, moved to London in 1935, opposed socialism, and remained politically active until his death in 1940. In 1964, his remains were reburied in Kingston’s National Heroes Park.

Legacy:
Garvey was both praised for inspiring Black pride and criticized for authoritarian tendencies, racial separatism, antisemitism, and working with white supremacists. Despite this, he is recognized as a Jamaican national hero and influenced the Rastafari movement, the Nation of Islam, and the Black Power Movement.