What did migration back to Africa mean for Marcus Garvey and his disciples?
"We are men, we have souls, we have passions, we have feelings, we have hopes, we have desires, like any other race in the world. The cry is raised all over the world today--Canada for the Canadians, America for the Americans, England for the English, France for the French, Germany for the Germans--do you think it is unreasonable that we, the Blacks of the world, should raise the cry of Africa for the Africans?"
"We have a beautiful history and we shall create another in the future that will astonish the world."
Before I started this class, I had never heard of Marcus Garvey. But I knew one thing--if I were an African American living in the United States in the 1920's-60's, I certainly would not have been enamored with this country. Sitting in the back of the bus? Separate restaurants, toilets, and drinking fountains? Seriously? "America, love it or leave it!" I would have been the first to say "I'm outta here," if only I could find a way.
I had often thought, why didn't any black person ever say, "This stinks. Surely there must be some place on this vast planet where African-Americans would not be treated as second class citizens. Let's join together and find that place."
I always wondered why no African American had ever said during that time, "What are we doing here? Let's go."
Again, I say, I had never heard of Marcus Garvey.
Marcus Garvey was the leader of the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). He was considered a redeemer, a "Black Moses" and most of all, a champion of the "back to Africa" movement.
For this paper, I plan to research Mr. Garvey's life, what he specifically planned to do, and how successful or unsuccessful he was in pursuing his dream. According to my initial research, (just a basic google and bing search of his name), by 1920 the UNIA had "hundreds of chapters worldwide, hosted elaborate international conventions, and Mr. Garvey published a weekly publication called the Negro World." This is beyond impressive considering the way African Americans were treated in the United States in 1920. I plan to show how inspirational Mr. Garvey was to the African American community with his dream of migration back to Africa, as well as his role as a leader and of a symbol of what was possible.
(Note to Professor G. & class: I am going to re-read the Migration article by Stephen Castles this week and try to add a connection to my intro. I see many of you have already made great connections in your introductions; I will try to do the same. Thanks!)
5. LISA RAO
Hi Edelson,
Isn't it crazy that none of us have heard much about such an important person in history? I'm excited about learning more about Marcus Garvey through my paper. Thanks for your post!
03/19/13, 05:23 am
4. EDELSON FLORES
Hi Lisa,
What a cool topic. I have to admit, I don't know much about Marcus Garvey but from this post I can see how much an influence he had. I'm just speaking for myself, but I had no idea who this guy was but I'm glad I can get to know where about what he did for the African American community.
Edelson Flores
03/18/13, 03:17 am
3. LISA RAO
Hi Angela,
I'm so glad you like my topic/introduction! Funny that you ask about which migration theory I will be using, since I'm wondering that same thing, LOL. I am re-reading the Castles article since nothing pertinent "jumped out" at me the first time.
Thanks for your post!
Lisa
03/17/13, 12:34 am
2. ANGELA ISAAC
Hello Lisa,
I really like your topic! I didn't know much about Marcus Garvey before now, except that there is a park named after him in Harlem. I think you have written a great introduction that makes me really look forward to reading your essay. I was just wondering, what migration theory you would be using to analyze this topic? -Angela
03/16/13, 02:16 am
1. Bradley Gardener
Outstanding. I appreciate the effort you put into the introduction. You can probably use most of this in your final paper. The topic is great. It also might be interesting to draw some parallels between 'back to Africa" movments and the Great Migration. How were they similar? How were they different?
03/12/13, 06:39 pm