Garveyism

Garveyism is an aspect of black nationalism which refers to the social, economic and political policies of UNIA-ACL founder Marcus Garvey. The fundamental focus of Garveyism is the complete, total and never ending redemption of the continent of Africa by people of African ancestry, at home and abroad. It is rooted in one basic idea: "whatsoever things common to man that man has done, man can do". Therefore, Africa can become as glorious and profoundly advanced in the scientific and technological realm as any, when Africans will it to be.

History of the movement

At the movement's peak of popularity, followers of Garveyism, known as "Garveyites", numbered in the millions, with almost a thousand local divisions in the United States, the Caribbean, Central America, Canada and Africa. The ideology of Garveyism centers on the unification and empowerment of African American men, women and children under the banner of their collective African descent, and the repatriation of the descendants of African slaves and profits to the African continent. Garvey was fought by the African American establishment in the United States, led primarily by W.E.B. DuBois. An investigation by the Justice Department, directed by J. Edgar Hoover, led to Garvey's arrest on charges of mail fraud in January 1922, and his projects collapsed.

Garvey put forward his dreams in response to the marginalization and discrimination of black people in the United States and the Caribbean at the time, with the hopes of inspiring black Americans to proactively establish infrastructure, institutions and local economies, rather than expecting such from the post-reconstruction American government. The movement had a major impact in stimulating and shaping pro-black politics in the Caribbean and in parts of Africa, as well as in previously all-white countries in Europe.

Similarities to other pro-black movements

Garveyism and African Methodism were very similar in their own ways. The main goals of both movements were to empower African individuals through attaining a sense of self-worth, as well as the unification of the African diaspora worldwide. When Garveyism started to die down in America, it continued to be a major tool of maintaining African interest in black America. The movement started in ports, especially in Cape Town, and by the end of the year, a Garveyite newspaper, The Black Man, started to surface. The newspaper written by Garvey, The Negro World, surfaced on the Witwatersrand, and word of mouth helped spread Garveyism and also the notion that black fleets and armies were coming. To Africans, Garveyism brought a vision of liberation and an outlet for African's disillusion with existing authorities (Colonial officials, European missionaries, chiefs, etc.) Garveyism can closely be related to the Rastafarian movement.

See also

• Black Power
• Black Pride
• Black nationalism
• Black supremacy

Further reading

• * Ewing, Adam. The Age of Garvey: How a Jamaican Activist Created a Mass Movement and Changed Global Black Politics (Princeton UP, 2014); stresses his global impact