(AURN News) — On June 10, 1940, Marcus Garvey, the pioneering leader of the Black nationalist and Pan-African movements, died in London after suffering several strokes. He was 52.
Born Aug. 17, 1887, in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Garvey credited his father, a stonemason, with instilling in him a love of reading and a strong sense of self-determination. At 14, he left school to work as a printer’s assistant, later becoming involved in labor organizing, writing and publishing throughout Jamaica and parts of Central and South America.
In 1914, Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), an organization dedicated to Black unity, economic empowerment and the advancement of people of African descent worldwide. The movement grew rapidly, attracting millions of supporters and holding an international convention at Madison Square Garden in the 1920s.
Although Garvey’s influence declined after a mail fraud conviction and imprisonment, his message of Black pride, self-reliance and global African solidarity continued to resonate for generations. His ideas would later help inspire the Nation of Islam and influential civil rights leaders, including Malcolm X.
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