Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association | National Humanities Center

TeacherServe Essays

Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association

By van Leeuwen, David

Marcus Garvey and his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), represent the largest mass movement in African-American history. Proclaiming a black nationalist “Back to Africa” message, Garvey and the UNIA established 700 branches in thirty-eight states by the early 1920s. Considering the strong political and economic black nationalism of Garvey’s movement, it may seem odd to include an essay on him in a Web site on religion in America. However, his philosophy and organization had a rich religious component that he blended with the political and economic aspects.

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Subjects

Political Science / History / Education Studies / African American History / Black Nationalism / Equality / Back-to-Africa Movement /