The Great Gatsby

Marcus Garvey





Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica on August 17, 1887. He was raised in a highly discriminatory area where people were split into three groups: white elites, mulatto middle class, and poor blacks. Garvey fell under the latter group and deeply resented the limitations placed in his life due to the color of his skin.

Garvey was never as educated as his rival W. E. B. DuBois, for academic advancement was not an option available to him in Jamaica. Although he took classes at Birbeck College, most of his knowledge was derived from experience. He taught himself how to be proficient in public speaking by imitating preachers.

In 1907, the Printers' Union went on strike because of the low wages and scarce resources caused by the recent earthquake and fire. They chose Marcus Garvey as their leader for he was a master printer and a great speaker. When the strike broke, everyone was given his or her job back except Garvey. This experience educated Garvey on the uselessness of work unions to the black worker. Garvey found employment in the Jamaican government and edited an unsuccessful newsletter called Garvey's Watchman. He then left his job to go to Costa Rica where he worked for the United Fruit Co. He recognized the horrendous plight of black field workers. His protests in Limon were met with indifference and another failed newsletter, La Nationale. He traveled throughout Latin America and discovered the awful plight of blacks were similar in all places.

In 1912, Marcus Garvey met Duse Mohammed Ali in London, who interested him in Africa. Upon his return to Jamaica, he founded the Universal Negro Improvement and Conservation Association and African Community League (UNIA). He expanded UNIA to America four years later. In Harlem, he worked for Negro independence by speaking, opening black businesses, starting the Black Star Shipping Line, spreading UNIA nationwide, and emigrating Blacks back to Africa. He had thousands of followers for whom Garvey created extravagant titles and attire for the leaders of the movement.

Yet his movement faced controversy as Garvey was accused of consorting with the Ku Klux Klan in order to sponsor the program to send Blacks to Africa. His businesses were wrought with problems and his critics were harsh. In 1923, he was incarcerated for six months for mail fraud. Black Star Shipping Line also failed.

Despite the controversy, Marcus Garvey still represented black freedom. His powerful oratory skills were a voice for the frustrations of blacks, and he gave pride and hope to working class blacks as well.




Bibliography

www.msu.edu/course/mc/112/1920s/Garvey-Dubois/biography.htm

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Curator: Cassandra Jackson