Marcus Garvey: The Harlem Years

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Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. is the youngest of eleven children living in St. Ann's Bay in Jamaica, Mason's Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr and Sarah Jane Richards, a domestic helper. He and his older sister, Indiana survived until only adult. Considering the circumstances of this time, his family is economically stable. Garvey's father had a big library, and Marcus got his love of reading from his father. He was still in elementary school in Santa Ana Bay when he was young. While attending these schools, Garvey first began experiencing racial discrimination. At the age of 14, Marcus became an apprentice of the printer. In 1903, he visited Kingston in Jamaica and soon joined labor union activities. In 1907, he took part in a failed printer strike, and this experience enthusiastically entrusted him to political extremism. In 1910 Garvey left Jamaica and began traveling through Central America. He first came in Costa Rica, where his mother 's uncle was.

After UNIA was founded in Jamaica, Marcus Garvey emigrated to the United States in 1916. Garvey opened a branch office in Haarlem to promote his creativity in the U.S. (UCLA). Since 1916 Garvey's idea remained unchanged, but he began to argue the view of black nationalists; some blacks should return to Africa to protect Africa from imperialism (Stein 14 ). Garvey took action to take the black people back to Africa. He founded Black Star Shipping Company in 1919. The company shipped two vessels to Liberia, but had to stop due to administrative problems. It was created as a "return to Africa" ​​campaign. (UCLA) However, the intention that Garvey will return to Africa is not to return all blacks to Africa. Instead, he believes that the powerful Africa Black Force Center protects blacks around the world from imperialism (Dumenil 297)

Harlem is a residential area in New York City that attracts black immigrants from the south. Black business and culture flourished in Harlem. After the First World War, groups of black writers, artists, intellectuals gathered. Like Marcus Garvey, many people are seeking cultural identity in African descent. However, unlike Garvey, they do not want to go back to Africa. They found creative energies in their struggle to become blacks and Americans. The gathering of black artists and philosophers was called Harlem Renaissance. Langston Hughes is a black novelist and a poet who uses the language of slums and rhythm of jazz to explain the experience of African Americans. Jazz continues to develop into a unique form of American art at Harlem, and the famous night clubs like the cotton club have great jazz composers such as Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson. Their music attracted Caucasians to Harlem to share the excitement of the jazz era.