THE BLACK STAR LINER

In 1919 UNIA set up a steamship company to buy ships and do business. It was called the Black Star Line – system of transport – and it was UNIA’s biggest business venture. It is one of the projects that Garvey is remembered for today. Garvey knew that powerful nations had ships. So building a shipping company was part of building a nation.

It was also part of UNIA’s self-reliance programme. The Black Star Line would provide employment and make money. It would let different communities trade with each other.

For example, its ships would take bananas, sugar and coconuts from the Caribbean, and cocoa from West Africa, to the USA. They would carry goods like machinery from the USA to the Caribbean and Africa. The ships would carry passengers, without racial discrimination. And they would transport people to countries in Africa for resettlement.

Yarmouth, Shadyside and Kanahawa:

The Black Star Line acquired three ships – the Yarmouth, the Shadyside and the Kanahawa. Two of them sailed to the Caribbean and Central America, visiting Cuba, Jamaica, Panama, and different ports in America. Large, cheering crowds greeted the ships when they docked. Few black people held important jobs in those days, and they felt great pride when they saw a black captain, officers – people in charge of others – and crew operating their own ships. Many people joined UNIA because of the Black Star Line. However, the company lasted only three years. It had several problems. The ships were too expensive, so the company spent too much. Some people were not qualified for the posts they held, and many employees were dishonest. There was sabotage – deliberate damage – and political pressure from the American government. It did not want the company to succeed.