Discuss the development of garvey's UNIA.what were the factors that Essay

Discuss the development of garvey's UNIA.what were the factors that made Garvey develop his organisationwhat role did geography - Essay Example He immersed himself into books in his quest for more knowledge to complement what he had gained from elementary school. Marcus Garvey’s quest for knowledge saw him travel widely in the Caribbean, Latin America and eventually he landed in London England. His education gave him an advantage over other people of African descent for he was able to secure employment in places where he visited. His position at different newspaper publishing companies gave him an insight into the prevailing conditions and circumstances under which people of African descent were experiencing. It is through his interaction with the outside world that Marcus Garvey became interested in advocating for minority human rights especially for those of African descent. The aim of this paper is to answer questions aimed at illuminating the role that Marcus Garvey played in the development of Pan-Africanism. Marcus Garvey’s exploits in the diaspora saw him attend the Birkbeck College in London where he st udied law and philosophy. His wide travels availed Marcus Garvey the opportunity to interact with a wide range of people from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. This experience gave him the chance to know and understand different people’s opinions and perceptions of the African race in relation to their lives. He was able to realize that there was wide spread discrimination against individuals of African descent even in the minority races. During his stay in London, he worked for a newspaper called the African Times and Orient Review that was published by Duse Mohamed Ali who is claimed to have had significant influence on Marcus Garvey. His desire to address the oppressed and diminished position of people of African descent in society saw him sometimes address public gatherings in London. Marcus’ talks are said to have been greatly influenced by Booker T. Washington, Henry McNeal and Martin Delany who advocated for minority groups’ equal represe ntation in society. It is highly probable that Duse Mohammed’s Islamic principles played a critical role in influencing Marcus to form the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). UNIA was first established in his home country Jamaica in 1914 under the motto ‘One God, One Aim, One Destiny’. The factors that led to the formation of UNIA by Marcus Garvey were based on the ultimate goal of securing economic, social and political freedom for all people of African descent in the world outside and inside Africa. Marcus saw the need for a united forum through which individuals from minority groups could use to advocate for their rights and freedoms. In 1921, Marcus Garvey was able to garner support from most of the small African associations in a National conference. This strengthened his UNIA organization, which saw its membership swell to between 60 and 70 thousand members. This consolidation enabled him to gain a wider appeal and audience through representatio n by the different groups that UNIA had assimilated, and in turn furthering its agenda. His relocation to the United States of America furthered UNIA’s ambition because the realities of African-American oppression and discrimination were more pronounced than in Europe. This was particularly in London where he had a first hand experience of treatment and perception of people of African descent received from the whites. Marcus’ experiences in US prompted him to advance his organization’