Marcus Garvey came to the United States penniless in 1916. In just eleven years, he built the first large black nationalist movement the country had seen. Famed as a public speaker, idealized as a leader, and notorious to some for his separatist and inflammatory beliefs, Garvey's impact was undeniable.

Hear the narrated words of Marcus Garvey on his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association (excerpt length: 2:05 min.); his Black Star Line venture into commercial shipping (1:35 min.); and his 1925 arrest (1:00 min.).

In His Own Words (792k)
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Hear the only known recordings of Marcus Garvey's voice! Two brief speeches from 1921 are available on the Web site of the Marcus Garvey and U.N.I.A. Papers Project at UCLA.