African American Church History

African American Church History

Marcus Garvey (1887-1940)

Marcus Garvey, a revolutionist and a great leader, was born in Jamaica on Aug.17, 1887. After attending primary school he entered in the business of print press. He went to Kingston in 1903. There he got involved in political activities and contributed in the formation of 'Printers Union'. Printers Union was the pioneer trade union in Jamaica. He also published a magazine 'the Watchman'.

From 1910, he went on a travel and during his travel he underwent the transformation from a layman to an African nationalist motivated to raise the African nation from oppression. He traveled to Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and then England. In England, he met some of the African nationalists and this meeting provoked him to develop interest in black history. During his travel he observed that in each country, the black were inferior and governed by other races. Africans were treated as slaves and were not even given the basic rights a human being enjoys.

When he was back from England, in 1914 he founded Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and the African Communities League. These organizations were founded to strive for the betterment of the Black. Garvey writes in the preamble of the constitution of UNIA that the motto of Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) is “One God! One Aim! One Destiny!". Hence the organization will work for on the principle that justice must be done to the whole manind. The idea of the strong and powerful suppressing the weak and underprevilegd must be discarded. Feelings of love, harmony, peace and faith shall be given to every men.

In 1916 Marcus Garvey visited the United States for the purpose of fund raising for his Jamaican organizations. He spread his message in the New York City. He established a branch of UNIA in New York. This was followed by many other branches in the United States, Central and South America. UNIA also published a newspaper 'the Negro World' from 1918 to 1933 in English, Spanish and French. The Negro World gained wide appraisal in the black community throughout the world.

Garvey emphasized the need for Negroes to unite and return to Africa to become a great nation. But then he realized that before that Africans need to become financially sound and independent. He advised Africans to strive for their better future, start their own businesses so that they get control of the economy.

Marcus Garvey formed a Church with an American named George A. McGuire. Garvey believed that each race shall see its God through its own view point. In his efforts for the economic sovereignty the Black Star Line shipping company and the Negro Factories Corporation were established to serve as the commercial arms of the Garvey movement. But the line bankrupted and Garvey was sent to the prison in 1925 in the US. After about 3 years of imprisonment he was exiled to Jamaica. In Jamaica, Garvey strived to enter local politics but he could not get enough time ...