“Declaration of the Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World”: The Principles of the Universal Negro Improvement Association
After international contributions that African Americans made in the First World War soldiers who had fought for both the French and the United States returned home and demanded the same rights for those of African heritage around the world. Led by Marcus Garvey the UNIA combined elements of Wilson's 14 points and the Bill of Rights to show unity in the need for worldwide equality.This thought provoking document was the attempt of African Americans to take their movement to the world as they still faced extreme discrimination at home. They hoped for international support at a time when the United States had risen to the pinnacle of power as victors of World War I. The document lists both American atrocities of inequality and discrimination and also the actions of Europeans to dominate the African continent. It would not be until after the next world war when Jim Crow and imperialism begins to fall does the goals of the UNIA begin to be realized.
Here is the document in its entirety: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5122/
