Jamaican Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887-1940) was a crucial figure in the fight for racial justice. In 1914, he established the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Jamaica, as a self-improvement organization intended to promote black pride in the face of white discrimination. He came to the United States in 1916 and founded a chapter of his Association that was prominent in the fight for equality. By 1919, he had more than a million followers. He was a riveting orator who inspired millions of black people around the world.

In the 1920s, the UNIA advocated the goal of resettlement of American blacks in Africa and preached a philosophy of black separatism. In 1921, Garvey established the African Orthodox Church to institutionalize the belief that God was black. He died in London in 1940.