Black Moses

Today Black Line News Celebrates the life and legacy of Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. A man with such great influence that 79 years after his death we still quote, analyze and build upon his words as lessons that will never be forgotten. Black Line News is heavily rooted in this ideology of unity, independence from oppressive rule and business ownership. 

Born in Jamaica on August 17, 1887, this political warrior, independent publisher, transformative journalist and exemplar orator was the founder of the Universal Improvement Negro Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL, UNIA). He was the first provisional President of Africa by his own declaration, practicing early ideas of Pan Africanist, later known as Garveyism. 

Garvey’s roots began in a prestigious family in which he not only lived in Jamaica but Costa Rica, Panama, England and eventually residing in Harlem, NY. He created UNIA, which emphasized unity amongst the African Diaspora. He established several businesses such as Negros Factories Corporations and Negro World. He was the President of the Black Star Line shipping and passenger company. 

Yet his controversy came with working with the KKK to establish a way to go back to Africa. This alienated him from his contempories such as W. E.B. Dubois. He was later found guilty on suspicious charges of mail fraud in which he was sent back to Jamaica. 

Garvey’s premise of unity, Black Business and independence was on the money but unfortunately we were not ready. How many more years will it take for us to see the importance of this? How can we build as a people if we are divided? How many of you support Black business. A man before his time, unsung, yet not forgotten.