"Black is Beautiful" and more of Marcus Mosiah Garvey's famous quotes.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, who was born Aug. 17, 1887, in Jamaica, founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association in the United States in 1916. The organization grew exponentially, claiming millions of members around the world. Garvey, a Black nationalists, led a "Back to Africa" movement, which advocated for all African people in the African Diaspora to return to the continent.
In 1918, Garvey established the Negro World newspaper and a year later bought an auditorium in Harlem. He called it Liberty Hall, where thousands flocked to hear him speak.
“Black people are subjects of ostracism,” Garvey said in 1921 to thunderous applause. “It is sad that our humanity has shown us no more love — no greater sympathy than we are experiencing. Wheresoever you go throughout the world, the black man is discarded as ostracized, as relegated to the lowest of things — social, political and economical.”
Garvey preached that the problem could be solved only through Black pride and self-reliance. In 1920, the UNIA elected Garvey “Provisional President of Africa.” In an iconic photo, Garvey and members of the association later marched through the streets of Harlem in military uniforms, carrying banners that read, “We Want a Black Civilization.”
To ferry black people and cargo to Africa, Garvey launched a steamship line, which he called the Black Star Line. The company sold stock for $5 a share, allowing black people to own a piece of the business.
Here are some of the most famous quotes from Garvey, who was a Black nationalist and leader of the Pan-Africanism movement:
Black is beautiful: Coined the phrase "Black is beautiful".
Emancipate Yourself from Mental Enslavement: "We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind".
Black Unity: "Climb ye the heights of liberty and cease not in well doing until you have planted the banner of the Red, the Black and the Green on the hilltops of Africa".
Self-reliance: "A man's bread and butter is only insured when he works for it."
Black Confidence: "If you haven't confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started."
Preparing for Life: "Control of resources, control of self, control of nation, requires preparation."
Freedom: "The first dying that is to be done by the Black man in the future will be done to make himself free."
Liberty: "If you want liberty, you, yourselves, must strike the blow."
