One of the most important and controversial figures in the history of
race relations in America and the world at large, Marcus Garvey was the
first great black orator of the twentieth century. The Jamaican-born
African-American rights advocated dismayed his enemies as much as he
dazzled his admirers. Of him, Martin Luther King, Jr., said, "He was the
first man, on a mass scale and level, to give millions of Negroes a
sense of dignity and destiny, and make the Negro feel that he was
somebody."
A printer and newspaper editor in his youth, Garvey furthered his
education in England and eventually traveled to the United States, where
he impressed thousands with his speeches and millions more through his
newspaper articles. His message of black pride resonated in all his
efforts. This anthology contains some of his most noted writings, among
them "The Negro's Greatest Enemy," Declaration of the Rights of the
Negro Peoples of the World, and Africa for the Africans, as well as
powerful speeches on unemployment, leadership, and emancipation.
Essential reading for students of African-American history, this volume
will also serve as a useful reference for anyone interested in the
history of the civil rights movement.