Frazier described Garvey's brand of Black Nationalism as using contrived cultural devices to help establish a sense of solidarity among his constituents; further, Garvey was an astute student of human nature and seemed to know instinctively what people wanted to hear: "[Garvey] not only promised the despised Negro a paradise on earth, but he made the Negro an important person in his immediate environment. He invented honors and social distinctions and converted every social invention to his use in his effort to make his followers feel important" (237). In reality, though, Garvey's approach was diametrically opposed to the alternative solutions sought by liberal black intellectuals such as W.E.B. Du Bois and reformist organizations like the NAACP (Marable 1998). W.E.B. DuBois and Garvey. While W.E.B. Du Bois was frequently a hostile critic of the Black Nationalist movement, he agreed with Garvey's assessment that during the Great Depression, black America was "a nation in a nation" (Marable 3). When Garvey appointed himself the "provisional president of Africa," though, Marable reports that DuBois and other middle-class black leaders "found him ridiculous" (3). The white powers-that-were, though, did not share Du Bois's opinion and the organization and its publication was outlawed in a number of countries and territories throughout Africa and the Caribbean (Marable 1998). The leaders of the UNIA leaders and its organizers were also subjected to harassment, arrest and, in some instances, even death. "The U.S. government launched an effort...
The UNIA's leader was imprisoned and, in 1927, expelled from the U.S., never to return" (Marable 4).
Marcus Garvey was the central figure in, perhaps, the largest African-American movement in United States history. He stood as the most outspoken proponent of the notion that Africans should return to Africa and start their own nation; this has come to be known as the "back to Africa" movement. "His phenomenal success came at a time when African-American confidence was low and unemployment was considered a way of life. Garvey
We must canonize our own saints, create our own martyrs, and elevate to positions of fame and honor black women and men who have made their distinct contributions to our history." (Garvey1, 1) Taken in itself and absent the implications to African repatriation that we will address hereafter, this is a statement which seems to project itself upon both Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, mutually driven as they would
Thus, the New Negro Movement refers to the new way of thinking, and encompasses all the elements of the Negro Renaissance, artistically, socially and politically (New). The Harlem Renaissance changed the dynamics of African-American culture in the United States forever, for it was proof that whites did not have a monopoly on literature, arts and culture (Harlem). The many personalities of the era, such as composer Duke Ellington, dancer Josephine
This League advocated the peaceful and friendly expansion and recognition of African-American culture and roots in Africa. It also helped pave the way for more militant African-American advocacy groups that found their way into popular African-American culture and society during the Harlem Renaissance. The Universal African Legion also had affiliate companies and corporations, which gave African-Americans more cultural, economic, and political clout and representation during this time period. Garvey
Furthermore, as a result of these conditions there was a general failure of black business and entrepreneurships. "Black businesses failed, crushing the entrepreneurial spirit that had been an essential element of the Negro Renaissance." (the Great Depression: A History in the Key of Jazz) However this did not crush the general spirit of the African-American people and there was a resurgence of black culture and enterprise in area such as
The milestone that the Civil Rights Movement made as concerns the property ownership is encapsulated in the Civil Rights Act of 1968 which is also more commonly referred to as the Fair Housing Act, or as CRA '68. This was as a follow-up or reaffirmation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, discussed above. It is apparent that the Civil Rights Act of 1866 outlawed discrimination in property and housing there
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