Universal Negro Improvement Association

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Chapter 23 Doc 5 Marcus Garvey Explains the Goals of the Universal Negro Improvement Association The Negroes Greatest Enemy, 1923 The Universal Negro Improvement Association is mainly found in the United States, even though it originated in Jamaica. This organization was founded by Marcus Garvey who was dedicated to racial pride and purity, economic self- sufficiency, and separatism for the Black man. He grew up among the white people and as children they saw no color distinction. As he grew to a young teen, his favorite playmate from childhood, a young white girl and he were separated from one another and for…show more content…
Washington and learn more about the situation of African Americans. By the time Garvey arrived in America in 1916, Washington had died, but Garvey decided to travel around the country and observe African Americans and their struggle for equal rights. In his findings, Garvey recognized there were no programs and leaders were only in it for themselves as the poor black man was “groping in the dark”. He immediately started a New York division of UNIA. It grew quickly due to his ability to travel at his own expense and write and deliver speeches all over the country. He had purchased a ship to travel to the West Indies and Central America with his agenda to empower the black race everywhere. By August 1920, Garvey had over 6 million followers. Garvey had a strong belief the black man should be given their own country where they should be given the fullest opportunity to develop to socially, politically and industrially. He did not believe black people could remain in a white man’s world and be successful. He had now made for himself a name all over the world as a leader, and he was black. He felt accomplished but he had been set up for failure from those among his own followers. He was fighting for a Negro nation in Africa and did not agree with the mixing of the races. He said it took away the purity. Garvey felt betrayed by his own race out of envy and jealous. The black man in his opinion had become his own greatest enemy. His last line in the essay says “For any black man to think he could President of the Nation in the city of the white man is like waiting on the devil and his angels to take up their residence in the realm of the Most high and direct there the affairs in Paradise”. Which we all know this could never happen in God’s Kingdom. But today, I believe Garvey would be pleasantly surprised at how far the black man has come, and that a black man did make it to the White house in a white man’s

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