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UNIVERSAL NEGRO CATECHISM
A Course of Instruction in Religious and His¬
torical Knowledge Pertaining to the Race
Compiled by
Rev. George Alexander McGuire, M.D.
Issued by
Authority of the High Executive Council,
UNIVERSAL NEGRO IMPROVEMENT
ASSOCIATION
19 2 1
CONTENTS:
1. Religious Knowledge
2. Historical Knowledge ■.
3. Constitution and Laws of the U.N.I.A....
4. Declaration of Independence
RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE
Q. What is God?
A. God is a spirit, that is to say, He is with¬
out body, or visible form.
Q. Are there more Gods than one?
A. No; there is but One living and true God.
Q. Mention some of the attributes of God.
A. He is everlasting, omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent, and of infinite wisdom, goodness,
truth, love, holiness, justice and mercy.
Q. By what title do we address God?
A. "Our Father in Heaven.
Q. Why is God called "Father?"
A. Because He is the Creator of all beings,
visible and invisible, and the Maker of all things
in the natural world.
Q. Are all human beings then the children
of God?
A. Certainly; He is the great All-Father, and
all members of the human race are His children.
Q. How did God create man?
A. Male and female created He them after
His own image, in knowledge, righteousness,
and holiness, with dominion over all the earth
and the lower animals.
Q. Did God make any group or race of men
superior to another?
A. No; He created all races equal, and of
one blood, to dwell on all the face of the earth.
Q. Is it true that the Ethiopian or Black
group of the human family is the lowest group
of all?
A. It is a base falsehood which is taught in
books written by white men. All races were
created equal.
2
Q. What, then, is the chief reason for the
differences observed among the various groups
of men?
A. Environment; that is, conditions connec¬
ted with climate, opportunity, necessity, and as¬
sociation with others.
Q. What is the color of God?
A. A spirit has neither color, nor other nat¬
ural parts, nor qualities.
Q. But do we not speak of His hands, His
eyes, His arms, and other parts?
A. Yes; it is because we are able to think
and speak of Him only in human and figurative
terms.
Q. If, then, you had to think or speak of the
color of God, how would you describe it?
A. As black; since we are created in His
image and likeness.
Q. On what would you base your assumption
that God is black?
A. On the same basis as that taken by white
people when they assume that God is of their
color.
Q. Who is Jesus Christ?
A. The Redeemer of all mankind.
Q. What does the name "Jesus" mean?
A. It means "a Saviour."
Q. What does the name "Christ" mean?
A. It means "Anointed."
Q. Why is Jesus Christ spoken of as "God's
only Son," when we are all sons of God?
A. Because He is the only-begotten Son, be¬
gotten of His Father before all worlds, while
we were created since the world began.
5
Q. Who was His mother?
A. Mary, the Virgin, blessed among women.
Q. Who was His foster-father?
A. Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth.
Q. Where was Jesus born?
A. In Bethlehem, a town six miles from Jer¬
usalem.
Q. Who came from far to worship the infant?
A. Wise men, called "Magi."
Q. How many Magi came?
A. It is generally believed that there were
three: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, and
that Balthazar was of the Negro race.
Q. Who sought to slay the infant child?
A. Herod, King of Jerusalem.
Q. Where did His parents take Him for
refuge ?
A. Into the land of Egypt, on the Continent
of Africa.
Q. How long did He live in Africa?
A. Until He was two years of age.
Q. Where did He spend the rest of His life?
A. In Palestine, the Holy Land.
Q. How old was He when He was crucified?
A. Thirty-three (33) years.
Q. Upon whom did they lay His cross as He
ascended Mount Calvary?
A. Simon, the Cyrenian, a man of Africa.
Q. How many times then in His life do we
find mention of Africa?
A. Three times: when the wise men visited
Him at His birth; when He was taken to Egypt
for safety, and when He was about to be cru¬
cified.
4
Q. Of what race was Jesus Christ?
A. The Hebrew race, through Abraham, Ju-
rlah, David and others.
Q. Of what larger group is the Hebrew race
a part?
A. The Semetic.
Q. Was there any admixture of other blood
than Semetic in the veins of Jesus ?
A. Yes.
Q. Give an instance.
A. Pharez, the son of Judah, and an ances¬
tor of Jesus, was born of Tamar, a woman of
Canaan and a descendant of Ham.
Q. Mention another instance.
A. Rahab, the mother of Boaz, who was the
great-grandfather of David, was also a Can-
aanite woman.
Q. For what purpose did Jesus die?
A. For the salvation of all men without dis¬
tinction.
Q. What contains the sum of His teachings ?
A. The Sermon on the Mount.
Q. Where is that to be found?
A. In the 5th, 6th and 7th Chapters of the
Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.
Q. In which verse do you find the essence
of that sermon?
A. In the 12th verse of the 7th chapter.
Q. Repeat it.
A. "All things therefore whatsoever ye
would that men should do unto you, even so do
ye unto them; for this is the law and the pro¬
phets."
Q. What name is usually applied to this
verse ? 5
A. The "Golden Rule."
Q. How did Jesus Christ summarize the Ten
Commandments, which were given to the world
by Moses?
A. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great com¬
mandment. And the second is like unto it; thou
shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these
two commandments hang the Law and the Pro¬
phets."
Q. What did Jesus Christ teach as the es¬
sential principle of true religion?
A. The universal brotherhood of man grow-
out of the universal Fatherhood of God.
Q. Did His Apostles preach the same truth?
A. Yes; especially St. Paul, who is known
as the great Apostle to the Gentiles.
Q. Mention a verse in this connection from
the writings of St. Paul?
A. Colossians 3rd chapter, 11th verse (R.V.)
"There cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision
and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond¬
man, freeman: but Christ is all, and in all."
Q. Did St. Peter also proclaim the same doc¬
trine ?
A. Yes; for in the Book of the Acts of the
Apostles, 10th chapter, 35th verse (R.V.), he
says: "Of a truth I perceive that God is no
respector of persons: bot in every nation he
that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is
acceptable to Him."
Q. Will there be any separation of men in
Heaven ?
A. No; for in the Book of the Revelation of
6
St. John the Divine, it is written in the 7th
chapter, 9th verse (R.V.), "After these things
I saw and beheld a great multitude, which no
man could number, out of every nation, and of
all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing be¬
fore the throne and before the Lamb."
Q. Is it true that Noah cursed his son Ham?
A. No; he cursed Canaan, the youngest son
of Ham, saying, "Cursed be Canaan; a servant
of servants shall he be unto his brethren."
Who are the descendants of Canaan?
A. The Canaanites who dwelt in Palestine
before the Jews took possession of it.
Q. Are Negroes concerned in this curse of
Noah?
A. Certainly not.
Q. How are the people of our race described
in the Holy Scriptures?
A. As Cushites or Ethiopians.
Q. From whom did they descend?
A. From Cush, who was the first son of
Ham and the grandson of Noah.
Q. Who was the most famous son of Cush?
A. Nimrod, the first mighty man of the earth.
Q. What saying concerning him became a
proverb ?
A. "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before
the Lord."
Q. What is really the fact about Nimrod?
A. He was the pioneer explorer and nation
builder.
Q. Of what Kingdoms was he the founder?
A. Babylon and Assyria.
Q. What great city in Assyria did he build?
A. Nineveh, its capital.
7
Q. Who was Ishmael?
A. The son of Abraham and Hagar.
Q. Who was Hagar?
A. An African from the land of Egypt.
Q. How were Hagar and Ishmael subse¬
quently treated?
A. They were driven out of Abraham's house
into a wilderness to provide for themselves.
Q. Who was the wife of Moses, the great
leader of the Jews?
A. Zipporah, an Ethiopian woman.
Q. Who was her father?
A. Jethro, a prince and priest in Ethiopia.
Q. When did Moses go to Ethiopia?
A. When his life was threatened by Pharaoh,
king of Egypt, for having slain an Egyptian.
Q. Was Moses marriage pleasing to his rela¬
tives ?
A. No; Miriam, his sister, who was a pro¬
phetess, and Aaron, his brother, who was a
priest, both upbraided him for having married
an Ethiopian woman. Read Numbers 12:1.
Q. What does this show?
A. That race prejudice is as old as the hu¬
man family, and that even religious teachers are
not free from it.
Q. What punishment came to Miriam for
speaking against the Ethiopian woman?
A. She became afflicted with leprosy, and was
placed in quarantine for seven days until Moses
prayed for her restoration.
Q. What appears, then, to be the most ef¬
fective cure for race prejudice?
A. Leprosy.
Q. From whom did Moses first receive in-
8
struction in the principles of civil government?
A. From Jethro, his father-in-law. Read
Exodus, 18th chapter.
Q. Who was the guide to Moses when he led
Israel through the wildereness?
A. Hobab, his brother-in-law, the son of
Jethro. Read Numbers 10:29-32.
Q. Who is responsible for the color of the
Ethiopians ?
A. The Creator, and what He has done can¬
not be changed. Read Jeremiah 13:23.
Q. Mention a verse in the Bible in which a
person of black color was proud of the fact.
A. "I am black, but comely, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem." Solomon's Song 1:5.
Q. Explain the connection.
A. Shulamith, daughter of Pharoah, king of
Egypt, betrothed to King Solomon, thus des¬
cribes herself to her Jewish rivals.
Q. How do the best Negro scholars translate
the words mentioned above?
A. "I am dark, and comely." It seems that
white translators use "but" in preference to
"and" to create the impression that one who is
dark is not expected to be comely.
Q. Who first informed David of the death
of Absalom, his son?
A. A fleet runner of the Cushite or Ethiop¬
ian race. Read 2 Samuel 18:21, 23.
Q. What person went from Africa to visit
King Solomon?
A. Balkis, the wise and wealthy Queen of
Sheba.
Q. What African people claim that their em¬
perors are descended from Solomon and the
Queen of Sheba? 9
A. The Abyssimans.
Q. By what name are the Abyssinian Em¬
perors usually known?
A. Menelik.
Q. When the prophet Jeremiah was in pris¬
on, who was it that brought about his release?
A. A God-fearing Ethiopian official by the
name of Ebed-Melech. Read Jer. 38:7,10,12.
Q. What distinguished African personage
was baptized by St. Philip?
A. An Ethiopian eunuch, a high official in
the Court of Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians.
Read Acts 8:27.
Q. Who was the first great military genius
whose deeds are recorded in the Bible?
A. Zerah, an Ethiopian general, who com¬
manded an army of a million men and 300
chariots.
Q. Mention a verse of Scripture which re¬
fers to the precious stones of Ethiopia.
A. "The price of wisdom is above rubies, the
topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it." Job 28:
18, 19.
Q. What is the first Book of Enoch?
A. It is a sacred book as old as others which
were included in the present Bible, but which
was left out of the collection intentionally by
white men.
Q. Why did they not include it in the Bible?
A. Because it was taken from the literature
of the Ethiopians, and was known as Ethiopic
Enoch.
Q. Mention one thing stated in this Book of
Enoch about our race.
A. "We are true sons of God."
10
Q. Was not this Book read by the early
Christians ?
A. Yes; it was read by them for 300 years.
Q. What prediction made in the 68th Psalm
and the 31st verse is now being fulfilled?
A. "Princes shall come out of Egypt, Ethio¬
pia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God."
Q. What does this verse prove?
A. That Negroes will set up their own gov¬
ernment in Africa, with rulers of their own race.
HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE
Q. Whom did the ancients call Ethiopians?
A. All men of dark-brown or black color.
Q. Why did they select this name?
A. Because "Ethiopian" is derived from a
Greek word which means "sun-burnt."
Q. To whom was the name more particularly
given at a later period?
A. To the inhabitants of the countries south
of Egypt and west of the Red Sea, in Africa,
along the upper Nile Valley.
Q. What place was the first important capital
of Ethiopia?
A. The island of Meroe, formed by the junc¬
tion of two tributaries of the River Nile.
Q. What celebrated oracle was located there?
A. The oracle of Jupiter Ammon.
Q. Tell what you can of Meroe.
A. The extraordinary fertility of the soil,
the abundance of animals and metals, made it
the chief resort of all inhabitants of adjacent
parts, as well as the emporium of Egypt. Car¬
thage, Arabia, and India. Even as early as
1000 B. C. it was counted as one of the most
powerful states of the world.
11
Q. What connection had the Ethiopians with
the Egyptians?
A; They were kindred nations, but were con¬
stantly at war, sometimes the Egyptians being
subject to the Ethiopians, and sometimes the
Ethiopians to the Egyptians. Later, both na¬
tions emigrated freely into each other's coun¬
try, and the greatest kings of Egypt, especially
Rameses I, II, and III were Ethiopians. We
cannot separate the early civilization and ac¬
complishments of the Egyptians and Ethiop¬
ians. Their religion, art and form of govern¬
ment were identical, and both of these African
nations contributed to build a high civilization
when Europe was still a continent of barbar¬
ians.
Q. Name some of the ancient university
cities of Egypt.
A. Memphis, Thebes, Heliopolis.
Q. Where was Memphis located?
A. About nine miles south of where Cairo
now stands.
Q. Describe Memphis as it was 4000 years
ago.
A. It was the seat of the highest culture of
the world. Its avenue of sphynxes compelled
the admiration of the world; its magnificent
temple was thronged with pilgrims from over
the world. In its university, Moses, the leader
and lawgiver of Israel, received theological and
scientific instruction. Greece sent her Homer,
Thales and Solon to Memphis to receive the fin¬
ishing touch, and Plato himself spent thirteen
years there getting inspiration.
Q. What shepherd race lived in Egypt as
12
slaves during this time?
A. The Hebrews.
Q. Were the Hebrews regarded as social equals
when they first came into Africa from Asia?
A. No; the cultured Egyptians looked upon
them as an inferior people and considered it
an abomination to eat at the same table with
the shepherds.
Q. What unrivalled monuments of African
architecture are still the wonder of the world?
A. The pyramids and sphynxes.
Q. What are hieroglyphics?
A. The ancient African characters or system
of writing on stone by which our early achieve¬
ments have been preserved.
Q. Who destroyed the ancient Ethiopian
capital on the island of Meroe?
A. The Romans under Augustus and Nero,
during the first Christian century.
Q. What is the most powerful Ethiopian
state in existence?
A. Abyssinia, whose emperors are known as
Menelik, the first being a son of Solomon and
the Queen of Sheba.
Q. What was the fate of the African people
other than the Egyptians and Abyssinians?
A. Dwelling in the Hinterland, and their civ¬
ilization destroyed by the Romans, they lapsed
into a wild and nomadic life. Multiplying rap¬
idly, they formed numerous tribes and soon
peopled the whole African continent. For over
a thousand years they lived unknown to white
men.
Q. Did they lose all their knowledge of the
civilization, arts and sciences of their ancestors?
13
A. No; they retained the tribal form of gov¬
ernment with Kings and Chiefs; they pursued
such arts as agriculture, smelting of iron, and
the weaving of cotton. They also practiced
medicine, and knew certain medical facts and
treatment which white men have since learned
in Africa and claimed as their discoveries.
Q. Mention one of these medical facts.
A. They knew that sleeping sickness was
caused by the bite of the tse-tse fly, and Koch,
a German physician learned this from them and
published it to the world as his discovery.
Q. To whom do foreigners resort for the
most effective treatment of African fevers?
A. The native herb-doctors.
Q. Who were the first Europeans to get in
touch again with the Africans who had then
covered all of West, Central, South and East
Africa ?
A. The Portuguese, who were great naviga¬
tors.
Q. Were the Africans heathen when these
white men visited them?
A. No; most of the tribes had very clear
ideas about God, or gods, and worshipped after
their own rites.
Q. Were they immoral?
A. No; the native Africans are the most
moral people in the world. Their vices have
come from contact with immoral white people.
Wherever white men go they sow the seeds of
immorality.
Q. What terrible institution began with the
visits of the Portuguese to Africa?
A. Slavery.
14
Q. What European nations conducted the
traffic in African bodies and souls?
A. Portugal, Spain, England, Holland, and
others.
Q. Where were these slaves chiefly taken?
A. To the West Indies and North and South
America.
Q. How long did slavery last in the Western
Hemisphere ?
A. For over 250 years.
Q. When and how were the West Indian Ne¬
groes emancipated?
A. In some islands on August 1, 1834, and
in others on August 1, 1838; by an Act of the
British Parliament.
Q. How and when were American Negroes
emancipated ?
A. By Proclamation of President Abraham
Lincoln, January 1, 1861; although this procla¬
mation did not become generally effective until
after the close of the Civil War in 1865.
Q. Have Western Negroes benefited from
their forcible exile from Africa?
A. Yes; they have progressed wonderfully in
the arts and sciences, in industrial skill, and in
the possession of property.
Q. Do they enjoy all their civil rights in the
alien countries in which they live?
A. No; while in theory they possess all the
rights and privileges of other citizens, they are
denied the full enjoyment thereof in practice.
Q. Will Negroes ever be given equal oppor¬
tunity and treatment in countries ruled by
white men?
A. No; they will enjoy the full rights of
15
manhood and liberty only when they establish
their own nation and government in Africa.
Q. What great event occurred in 1492?
A. Christopher Columbus made his first visit
to the West Indies.
Q. Was Columbus the real discoverer of the
West Indies and America?
A. No; it has been recently proven by a
professor of Harvard University that Negro
navigators crossed the Atlantic from Africa to
the Western Hemisphere, visiting several of the
islands of the Caribbean Sea and the mainland
of America.
Q. What proof of this fact exists?
A. Tobacco and peanuts were brought by
these Negroes from Africa and given to the
Indians, who soon learned to cultivate and use
the same.
Q. What event of importance occurred in
1619?
A. The landing of the first cargo of African
slaves in Jamestown, Va.
Q. Mention some important Negro national
holidays.
A. In Liberia, July 26th is observed as In¬
dependence Day and December 1st as New Port
Day; in the West Indies, August 1st is Eman¬
cipation Day; in the United States, January 1st
is Emancipation Day; August 31st was set
apart by the great International Convention
which met in New York City, in 1920, as the
International Holiday for Negroes.
Q. Who was Edward Wilmot Blyden?
A. The most learned Negro of modern times;
born in the Danish West Indies in 1831, but
16
was identified with Africa for fifty years; he
was a distinguished statesman, philosopher, lin-
guish and Arabic scholar; the author of several
works on Negro history and sociology; he died
on February 7, 1912, in Sierra Leone, West
Africa.
Q. Who was James Africanus Beal Horton?
A. A native of Sierra Leone, West Africa,
who became a surgeon-major, the highest rank
ever granted a Negro in the British Army; he
published a work on Tropical Diseases which
was considered the highest authority on the
subject; he died in 1880.
Q. Who was Sir Samuel Lewis?
A. A native of Sierra Leone, and for nearly
a half century the greatest jurist of British
West Africa; he was the second Negro to be
made a Knight in the British Empire; he died
in 1903.
Q. Who was the Right Reverend Samuel D.
Ferguson?
A. The first Negro Bishop of Liberia; he
died August, 1916.
Q. Who was Sir Conrad Reeves?
A. The first Negro to be made a Knight in
the British Empire; a native of Barbados, B.
W. I., and later Chief Justce; he died January,
1901.
Q. Who was Toussaint L'Overture?
A. A distinguished soldier, statesman and
martyr, born in Haiti, May 20, 1743; became
emancipator of Haiti and the conqueror of the
European forces.
Q. Who was Crispus Attucks?
A. A Negro who led a mob in Boston against
17
the British troops in the struggle for American
liberty and freedom; he was the first to shed
his blood for the cause of Independence, being
killed in the streets of Boston, 1775.
Q. Who was Frederick Douglas?
A. A great Negro orator and statesman of
international fame; born in Maryland in 1817;
escaped from slavery in early manhood; lec¬
tured in America and England against slavery;
died in Anacostia, D. C., February, 1895.
Q. Who was Booker T. Washington?
A. A famous Negro leader and industrial ed¬
ucator; founder of Tuskegee Institute; born in
slavery in Virginia, 1858; trained at Hampton
Institute; died in 1915.
Q. Who was Prince Hall?
A. The founder and organizer of Negro Mas¬
onry in America; he was born in the West In¬
dies.
Q. Who was Reverend Alexander Grum-
mell?
A. A distinguished clergyman of the Protes¬
tant Episcopal Church; born in New York City
in 1819; his father was a prince of an African
tribe; he received his early education in Amer¬
ica, and later graduated from Cambridge Uni¬
versity, England; was missionary in Liberia
for several years; wrote several books on Af¬
rica; was a ripe scholar and the founder of the
American Negro Academy.
Q. What are the independent Negro govern¬
ments ?
A. The Abyssinian Empire, the Liberian Re¬
public, the Haitian Republic.
Q. In what other countries do Negroes have
18
a large share in the government?
A. In Santo Domingo, Cuba and in several
of the South and Central American Republics.
Q. What is the present Negro population of
the United States?
A. About 15,000,000.
Q. What is the Negro population of the West
Indies and adjoining provinces?
A. About 10,000,000.
Q. What is the total Negro population of the
Western Hemisphere?
A. About 50,000,000.
Q. What is the total Negro population of the
world ?
A. About 400,000,000.
THE UNIVERSAL NEGRO IMPROVE¬
MENT ASSOCIATION
Q. What is the Universal Negro Improve¬
ment Association and African Communities
League ?
A. It is a social, friendly, humanitarian,
charitable, educational, institutional, construc¬
tive and expansive society, organized for the
general uplift of the Negro peoples of the
world.
Q. What pledge do the members make?
A. To do all in their power to conserve the
rights of their noble race and to respect the
rights of all mankind, believing always in the
brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God.
Q. Who founded the Universal Negro Im¬
provement Association and African Communi¬
ties League?
19
A. The Honorable Marcus Garvey in Jam¬
aica, B. W. I. in 1914, and in New York, U.
S. A. in 1918.
Q. What is the motto of the organization?
A. "One God! One Aim! One Destiny!"
Q. What other motto has been selected?
A. "Pro Deo, Africa et Justitia;" which
means, "For God, Africa and Justice."
Q. What is the slogan?
A. "Africa for the Africans."
Q. What is the jurisdiction of the Universal
Negro Improvement Association?
A. Its jurisdiction includes all communities
where people of Negro blood and African des¬
cent are to be found.
Q. Who are the ordinary members of the
Association?
A. All people of Negro blood and African
descent are regarded as ordinary members, and
are entitled to the consideration of the organi¬
zation.
Q. Who are the active members?
A. Those who pay monthly dues for the up¬
keep of the organization, and who in conse¬
quence have have first claim for all benefits to
be dispensed.
Q. What are the objects of the Universal
Negro Improvement Association and the Afri¬
can Communities League?
A. To establish a united brotherhood among
the race; to promote race pride and loyalty; to
assist the needy; to aid in the civilization of the
native tribes of Africa; to develop independent
Negro nations and communities; to establish
diplomatic agencies in the principal countries
20
and cities of the world for the representation
and protection of all Negroes; to build educa¬
tional institutions in Africa; to promote a con¬
scientious spiritual worship among the native
tribes; to conduct world-wide commercial and
industrial intercourse for the good of the race;
to improve conditions in all Negro communities.
Q. How may a charter be secured to estab¬
lish a Division of this Organization in any
community ?
A. Seven or more citizens of intelligence,
having the respect of the educated and cultured
people of their community, on application, may
be given a charter; provided there is no char¬
tered Division already existing in such commun¬
ity. Chapters and branches of divisions may
receive charters for work under the auspices of
the chartered Division in any community where
circumstances justify the existence of such
chapters and branches.
Q. What is the governing body of the Uni¬
versal Negro Improvement Association and Af¬
rican Communities League?
A. The International Convention which
meets annually unless otherwise provided for.
Q. How is the Convention composed?
A. Of Deputies and Delegates from the var¬
ious Divisions, and kindred Organizations, So¬
cieties and Orders subordinate to the Universal
Negro Improvement Association and the Afri¬
can Communities League, such Deputies holding
office for four years after election.
Q. Who are the High Officials and Rulers of
this Asssociation?
A. A Potentate, a Supreme Deputy, a Presi-
21
dent General, an Assistant President General,
a Secretary General, an Assistant Secretary
General, a High Chancellor, a Chaplain Gen¬
eral, a Counsel General, an Assistant Counsel
General, a High Commissioner General, a
Speaker in Convention, an International Org¬
anizer, and Auditor General, a Surgeon Gen¬
eral, and a Minister of Legions.
Q. What body do these High Officials form?
A. The High Executive Council, which is the
ruling Body of the Organization in the interim
between sessions of Convention.
Q. What is their term of office?
A. The Potentate and Supreme Deputy hold
office permanently; all other High Officials hold
office for four years, provided their conduct
conforms at all times with the laws and prin¬
ciples of the Association.
Q. What are the qualifications for office in
the Universal Negro Improvement Association
and the African Communities League?
A. Candidates must be registered active
members with all dues paid up; shall be Ne¬
groes; shall not be married to anyone of alien
race; shall be conscientious in the cause of race
uplift; shall be free from criminal conviction,
and shall be of reputable moral standing and
good education.
Q. From what source is the revenue of the
Universal Negro Improvement Association and
African Communities League derived?
A. From monthly subscriptions of not more
than 25 cents per month,-being the authorized
dues of each active member, nodations, collec¬
tions, gifts, profits derived from business, en-
22
tertainments, functions or general amusements
of an innocent nature,
Q. How is this revenue employed?
A. To defray the general expenses of the
Organization, and to carry out its objects.
Q. How is money transmitted from the Lo¬
cal Division to the Parent Body?
A. The Secretary of each Division and sub¬
ordinate Organization remits at the end of each
month, through the Secretary General, to the
High Chancellor, one-fifth of all monthly dues,
and the net profits from local business under
control of said Division, as also from all dona¬
tions, grants, gifts, and proceeds of amuse¬
ments, entertainments, and other functions, to
be applied to the general fund of the Organi¬
zation.
Q. Is there any tax levied on members of
the Universal Negro Improvement Association?
A. Yes; a tax of one dollar is levied on every
member, payable on January first, for the pur¬
pose of defraying expenses of the High Officials
of the Organization and the leaders of the Ne¬
gro peoples of the world.
Q. What is the entrance fee?
A. Each person pays an entrance fee of 25
cents when joining the Association.
Q. Who is the working-head of the Univer¬
sal Negro Improvement Association and the Af¬
rican Communities League?
A. The President General, to whom all Divi¬
sions and subordinate Organizations are res¬
ponsible, and on whom rests the general ad¬
ministration of all Local Divisions.
Q. May the Divisions admit any member of
23
an alien race to active membership?
A. They shall admit none to active member¬
ship who is not of Negro blood?
Q. What descriptive emblem is worn by the
members of the Universal Negro Improvement
Association and African Communities League
by which they may be known to other members ?
A. They wear on their coats or blouses a
button, with the colors red, black and green,
which are the authorized colors of the Associa¬
tion.
Q. Is a charitable fund maintained by the
Association?
A. All Local Divisions or Societies maintain
a charitable fund for the purpose of assisting
distressed members or needy individuals of the
race.
Q. Are any loans made to members?
A. Each Local Division is required to main¬
tain a fund for rendering assistance by way of
loans of honor to active members.
Q. Does the Organization help its members
to find employment?
A. Each Local Division is required to man¬
age an employment bureau for the purpose of
finding employment for the members of the Un¬
iversal Negro Improvement Association and Af¬
rican Communities League.
Q. Where are the meetings of the Association
held?
A. Each Local Division is required to main¬
tain as far as possible a building of its own
(rented, leased or purchased), in which the
general meetings shall be held every Sunday
afternoon or evening, presided over by the
24
President; meetings shall also be held on week¬
day evenings.
Q. Has the Organization a Weekly Journal?
A. Yes; the "Negro World/' controlled and
directed by the President General, and circu¬
lated among Negroes everywhere, giving rgu-
lar accounts of the progress of the Association,
and spreading propaganda of the Movement.
Q. Who are the subscribers to this Journal?
A. Each member of the Universal Negro Im¬
provement Association and the African Com¬
munities League is required to be a regular sub¬
scriber to this Journal, in addition to paying
the monthly dues and taxes.
Q. What provision is made for children and
juveniles in the membership of this Associa¬
tion?
A. Infants are required to be brought by
their parents to be dedicated by the Chaplain
of the Division not later than three months af¬
ter birth, at which time they enter the general
membership of the Organization. In every Div¬
ision a Juvenile Branch shall be formed, in
which moral, spiritual, and racial instruction
shall be given to the members.
Q. What is the African Legions Society?
A. An allied organization under the direc¬
tion of the Executive Council and Potentate,
for the purpose of giving military training to
the men of our race between the ages of 18
and 55.
Q. What is the Black Cross Nurses So¬
ciety ?
A. It is another allied organization having
for its purpose the trainig of women of the Ne-
25
gro race in First Aid to the Injured, and in
promoting the charitable objects of the Organi¬
zation as may be required of them by the High
Executive Council.
Q. What commercial and industrial organi¬
zations are allied with the Universal Negro Im¬
provement Association and American Commun¬
ities League ?
A. The Black Star Line Steamship Company
Inc., which trades between the United States,
the West Indies, Central America and West
Africa; the Negro Factories Corporation, which
conducts a laundry, a millinery store, and other
establishments.
THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
Q. When was the Declaration of Indepen¬
dence of the Negro people of the world drafted
and adopted?
A. At the first International Negro Conven¬
tion, held in Liberty Hall, New York City, U.
S. A., from August 1 to August 31, 1920.
Q. Who presided over this Convention?
A. The Honorable Marcus Garvey, President
General of the Universal Negro Improvement
Association, the Organization under whose aus¬
pices the Convention was held.
Q. Who composed this Convention?
A. Negro Deputies from every country of
the World inhabited by people of our race.
Q. By what name is this Declaration known?
A. The Declaration of Rights.
Q. What were the causes for this Declara¬
tion? 26
A. The reports brought by representatives
from all over the world concernng the wrongs
and injustices which our people suffer at the
hands of white men; their determination in the
future to secure their just rights, and to de¬
mand equal opportunity and treatment with
other men.
Q. When was the Declaration signed?
A. At 5:00 P.M. on August 13, 1920, be¬
neath a display of flags of many countries, in¬
cluding those of the United States, the Pro¬
visional African Republic, Liberia, Haiti and
Abyssinia.
Q. What were some of the grievances repor¬
ted by the various delegates?
A. Discrimination in public hotels because of
race and color; denial of the right of public
trial when. accused of crime; lynching and
burning by mobs; discrimination in public con¬
veyances in the southern part of the United
States; inferior education for our children in
separate schools; denial of an equal chance to
earn wages for the support of our families; ex¬
ploiting of the Continent of Africa, and in¬
human treatment of the natives by European
nations; denial of the privilege to vote in some
southern states, and of a voice in the adminis¬
tration of the laws; discrimination in the Civil
Service, and other departments of the Govern¬
ment; secret and cunning devices in the British
and other West Indian Islands and colonies to
deprive our people of those fuller rights of
government which white citizens enjoy; peon¬
age and serfdom both in the West Indies and
the southern states of America.
27
Q. What decision was arrived at alter the
Convention had listened to these grievances for
a space of one week?
A. That the Deputies should emphatically
protest against all such inhuman, unchristian
and uncivilized treatment, and invoke the con¬
demnation of all mankind in order to encourage
our race all over the world to overcome the
handicaps and difficulties surrounding us, and
to push forward to a higher destiny.
Q. What does the first clause of the Dec¬
laration of Rights state concerning the citizen¬
ship of Negroes?
A. It declares all men, women and children
of our blood throughout the world free deni¬
zens of the countries in which they live, but
claims them as free citizens of Africa, the Mo¬
therland of all Negroes.
Q. On what principle do we claim Africa
for the Negro people of the world?
A. On the principle of Europe for the
Europeans, and Asia for the Asiatics, we also
demand Africa for Africans a t home and
abroad.
Q. Should the Negro endeavor to possess
himself of Africa?
A. We believe it his inherent right so to do,
and that such possession shall not be regarded
as an infringement on any claim made by any
race or nation.
Q. What is our attitude towards those na¬
tions who have seized the territories and nat¬
ural wealth of Africa?
A. We strongly condemn their cupidity, and
place on record our solemn determination to
28
reclaim the treasures and possession of this vast
continent of our forefathers.
Q. What protest do we make against the
treatment accorded the naties of Africa?
A. We protest against depriving them of
their lands, and exercise of free citizenship
within their own country; against the atrocious
crimes of whipping, flogging, and overwork¬
ing of such natives, and demand that all such
barbarous practices be abolished.
Q. Mention one such atrocious and disgrace¬
ful practice.
A. The shaving of the heads of Africans, in¬
cluding females, when placed in prison as a
punishment for crime.
Q. Should Negroes demand the right to elect
their own representatives in the Legislature?
A. Wheresoever they form a community
among themselves they should be given the
right to elect their own representatives in all
law-making bodies, councils, or other institu¬
tions which exercise control over that particular
community.
Q. Should Negroes be represented on juries?
A. We declare it unfair and prejudicial to
the rights of Negroes in communities where
they exist in considerable numbers to be tried
by a judge and jury composed entirely of an
alien race, and demand that in all such cases
members of our race be given representation on
the jury.
Q. What do we declare concerning "taxation
without representation ? "
A. We declare it unjust and tyrannical and
that there should be no obligation on the part
29
of Negroes to obey the levy of tax by any law¬
making body in which they are denied repre¬
sentation.
Q. What do we believe about any law dis¬
criminating against the Negro?
A. That it is not only unfair and immoral,
but an insult to the race as a whole, and there¬
fore should be resented by the entire body of
the Negro people.
Q. How should the word "Negro" be writ¬
ten?
A. Always with a capital " N;" we should
demand that all newspapers, periodicals, and
books published should observe this rule.
Q. Should the Negro endeavor to live in
peace with all other men?
A. Undoubtedly so; but when other races
and nations provoke our ire by infringing upon
our sacred rights, war becomes inevitable, and
any attempt on our part to free ourselves and
protect our rights and heritage becomes justi¬
fiable.
Q. What does the Declaration of Rights
say concerning lynching?
A. That the lynching of human beings by
burning, hanging, or any other means is a most
barbarous practice, and a shame and a dis¬
grace to civilization, and that any people guilty
of such atrocities should be considered outside
the pale of civilization.
Q. What does it state concerning the "Free¬
dom of the Press?"
A. That we believe in the doctrine of the
"Freedom of the Press," and protest against
the suppression of Negro newspapers and per-
30
iodicals in various parts of the world, and call
upon our people everywhere to employ all
available means to prevent such suppression.
Q. Menton some further conditions against
which protests are made.
A. Boycotting of Negroes from industry and
labor in any part of the world; the system of
education which denies Negroes the same privi¬
leges and advantages as other races; segregated
districts; separate public conveyances and ac¬
commodations by land or sea; curtailing of free
speech; the publication of scandalous and in¬
flammatory articles by the white press tending
to create racial strife; the exhibition of picture
films representing the Negro as a cannibal, and
the carricathres on the stage which hold up our
race to ridicule.
Q. Mention some important rights which we
demand in the Declaration.
A. Self-determination of all peoples; free¬
dom of religious worship; the right of an un¬
limited and unprejudiced education for our¬
selves and our children; the right of free emi¬
gration of Negroes to any country or state with¬
out molestation or discrimination, especially
when they pay equal fare with travellers of
other races.
Q. Did the International Convention choose
any Leaders for our race?
A. Yes; it elected a Provisional President of
Africa, a Leader for the American Negroes,
and two Leaders for the Negroes of the West
Inrli es, Central and South America.
Q. Why were these Leaders elected?
A. To look after the welfare of our people
31
everywhere, and to demand from the various
governments under which they live equal op¬
portunity and equal treatment with other races
of people.
Q. What are the National Colors of the Ne¬
gro Race as selected by the Convention?
A. Red, black and green.
Q. What do these Colors represent?
A. Red is the color of the blood which men
must shed for their redemption and liberty;
black is the color of the noble and distinguished
race to which we belong; green is the color of
the luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland.
Q. What National Anthem did the Conven¬
tion authorize for our race?
A. That which begins "Ethiopia, thou land
of our Father," composed by Burrell and
Ford.
Q. As this anthem should be known by all
Negro youth, please recite it.
Ethiopia, thou land of our fathers,
Thou land where the gods loved to be,
As storm cloud at night sudden gathers
Our armies come rushing to thee.
We must in the fight be victorious,
When swords are thrust outward to glean;
For us will the vict'ry be glorious
When led by the red, black and green.
Chorus
Advance, advance to victory!
Let Africa be free!
Advance to meet the foe
With the might
Of the red, the black, and the green.
32
Ethiopia, the tyrant's falling
Who smote thee upon thy knees;
And thy children are lustily calling
From over the distant seas.
Jehovah the Great One has heard us,
Has noted our sighs and our tears,
With His spirit of love He has stirred us
To be one through the coming years.
Chorus
O Jehovah, Thou God of the ages,
Grant unto our sons that lead
The wisdom Thou gav'st to Thy sages
When Israel was sore in need.
Thy voice thro' the dim past has spoken,
Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hand,
By Thee shall all fetters be broken
And Heav'n bless our dear Motherland.
Q. What will this Declaration of Rights ac¬
complish for Negroes?
A. It will secure for them their complete
rights and privileges and the unlimited enjoy¬
ment of liberty.
Q. Did not an Act of the British Parliament
and the Emancipation Proclamation of Presi¬
dent Lincoln give freedom to Negroes in the
West Indies and in the United States?
A. Only in the sense of freedom from com¬
pulsory labor and servitude.
Q. What is our attitude to the League of
Nations?
A. We declare it null and void in that it de¬
prives millions of Negroes of the right of liber¬
ty, self-determination and self-government.
Q. Do we believe in the "Golden Rule?"
33
A. Yes; we cheerfully accord to all men their
rights and privileges and in turn make the just
demand that they do unto us as we would unto
them.
Q. What declaration do we make concerning
our women and children?
A. That, with the help of Almighty God, we
swear to protect their honor and virtue even
with our lives.
Q. Should Negroes engage in any war which
alien races are waging against each other?
A. Only in case of the defence of the coun¬
try in which they live from external aggression,
and only when given consent by the chosen
Leader of the Negro people of the world.
Q. What do we declare concerning the seas?
A. We believe in the absolute freedom of the
seas for all peoples and demand a free and un¬
fettered ocean intercourse with Negroes every¬
where.
Q. What International Holiday for the Ne¬
groes of the world was ordered by the Con¬
vention ?
A. August 31st of every year.
Q. Do Negroes intend to support this De¬
claration of their Rights and Independence?
A. They pledge to maintain it as the Magna
Charta of their race and solemnly swear to de¬
fend it with their lives, their fortunes, and
their sacred honor.
Q. Who were the signers of this immortal
Document ?
A. Marcus Garvey, James D. Brooks, James
W. H. Eason, Henrietta Winton Davis, Lionel
Winston Greenidge, Ardian Fitzroy Johnson,
84
Rudolph Ethelbert Brissaac Smith, Charles
Augustus Petioni, Thomas H. N. Simon, Rich¬
ard Hilton Tobitt, George Alexander McGuire,
Peter Edward Baston, Reynold R. Felix, Har¬
ry Walters Kirby, Sarah Branch, Marie Barrier
Houston, Georgie L. O'Brien, F. O. Ogilvie,
Arden A. Bryan, Benjamin Dyett, Marie Duch-
aterlier, John Phillip Hodge, Theophilus H.
Saunders, Wilford H. Smith, Gabriel E. Stew¬
art, Arnold Josiah Ford, Lee Crawford, Wil¬
liam McCartney, Adina Clem. James, William
Musgrave La Motte, John Sydney de Bourg,
Arnold S. Cunning, Vernal J. Williams, Fran¬
ces Wilcem Ellegor, J. Frederick Selkridge,
Innis Abel Horsford, Cyril A. Crichlow, Sam¬
uel Mclntyre, John Thomas Wilkins, Mary
Thurston, John G. Befue, William Ware, J. A.
Lewis, O. C. Kelly, Venture R. Hamilton, R.
H. Hodge, Edward Alfred Taylor, Ellen Wil¬
son, G. W. Wilson, Richard Edward Riley,
Nellie Grant Whiting, G. W. Washington,
Maldena Miller, Gertrude Davis, James D.
Williams, Emily Christmas Kinch, D. D. Lewis,
Nettie Clayton, Partheria Hills, Janie Jenkins,
John C. Simons, Alphonso A.; Jones, Allen
Hobbs, Reynold Fitzgerald Austin, James Ben¬
jamin Yearwood, Frank O. Raines, Shedrick
Williams, John Edward Ivey, Frederick Augus¬
tus Toote, Philip Hemmings, F. F. Smith, E.
J. Jones, Joseph Josiah Cranston, Frederick
Samuel Ricketts, Dugald Augustus Wade, E.
E. Nelom, Florida Jenkins, Napoleon J. Fran¬
cis, Joseph D. Gibson, J. P. Jasper, J. W.
Montgomery, David Benjamin, J. Gordon, Har¬
ry E. Ford, Carrie M, Ashford, Andrew N.
35
Willis, Lucy Sands, Louise Woodson, George
D. Creese, W. A. Wallace, Thomas E. Bagley,
James Young, Prince Alfred McConney, John
E. Hudson, William Ines, Harry R. Watkins,
C. L. Halton, J. T. Bailey, Ira Joseph Tous-
saint Wright, T. H. Golden, Abraham Ben¬
jamin Thomas, Richard C. Noble, Walter
Green, C. S. Bourne, G. F. Bennett, B. D.
Levy, Mary E. Johnson, Lionel Antonio Fran¬
cis, Carl Roper, E. R. Donawa, Philip Van
Putten, I. Brathwaite, Jesse W. Luck, Oliver
Kaye, J. W. Hudspeth, C. B. Lovell, William
C. Matthews, A. Williams, Ratford E. M. Jack,
H. Vinton Plummer, Randolph Phillips, A. I.
Bailey, duly elected representatives of the Ne¬
gro people of the world.
Sworn before me this 15th day of August, 1920.
New York County Clerk's No. 378; New York
County Register's No. 12102. Commission
(Legal Seal) JOHN G. BAYNE,
Notary Public, New York County.
expires March 30, 1922.
36