African American Social Issues In The 1920's

When we consider the act of influencing people to act against their own wills, it is natural to describe the physical. One may think of the gravity of a firearm, or of any threat of physical violence. While surely and realistically these concrete powers are involved in strong-arming another person or group of people, some of the most powerful forces at work do not exist as obviously as we expect them to. Although we may not been acutely aware of the very real, the ever-shifting, and the forceful tides of social influence, though they may not be tangible like firearms or fists, their invisible wills spur radical change in the world. One of the most prominent social issues in the United States today and historically has been race, and equal treatment
Maybe hateful racism and the constant potential of racial violence are not tangible, but for those who were or are threatened by such an overwhelming force, the fear can be quite nearly so. The animosity and relentless oppression happening during this clip of history left the African American community at a loss, and this is where Marcus Garvey, talented Jamaican orator and activist, filled the void of leadership and headed the first mass U.S. movement for racial justice: the “Back to Africa” movement, where African Americans were encouraged to emigrate to African country Liberia for a better life; although a recycled train of thought, Garvey brought new life into the old concept, revitalized it with the passion of the times, and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior himself, “[Marcus Garvey] was the first man of color to lead and develop a mass movement. He was the first man on a mass scale and level to give millions of Negroes a sense of dignity and
Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) in 1914. Garvey’s Pan-African philosophy inspired the Garveyism movement, where Marcus Garvey “melded Jamaican peasant aspirations for economic and cultural independence with the American gospel of success to create a new gospel of racial pride. ‘Garveyism’ eventually evolved into a religion of success, inspiring millions of black people worldwide who sought relief from racism and colonialism” (People & Events: Marcus Garvey). Garveyism even went on later to inspire such leaders as Dr. Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Nelson Mandela, all pivotal figures in future movements fighting for racial equality. Garvey founded the U.N.I.A. with the objective of unifying African diaspora to establish their own country, which would later become known as Liberia. In 1916 Garvey came to the United States to settle a U.N.I.A. chapter in Harlem, New York, where he promoted the idea of a separatist philosophy for African Americans. In 1918 Garvey began publishing a newspaper called “Negro World” where he could relay his messages. Another component of his activity, the Black Star Line was a shipping company founded by Marcus Garvey in 1919. Marcus Garvey planned on using the Black Star Line not only a