The History of Black Separatists

In reaction to a less-than-ideal climate characterized by racial segregation, some black Americans, rather than advocate inclusion into American society, instead strove for voluntary exclusion. They are known as black separatists.

Definition

Black separatists believe they can never optimally advance socially, politically and economically in a white-dominated society, believing that whites are inherently evil and oppressive and will never treat blacks as equals. Thus, the ultimate solution is to create a separate all-black society, either in the Western Hemisphere or on the African continent, where they can prosper, away from the threat of white oppression. Because of the belief in a national identity for black Americans separate from the United States, black nationalism is intrinsically linked with black separatism.

Paul Cuffe

Born a free man in Massachusetts, Paul Cuffe (1759-1817) was the progenitor of the "back-to-Africa" movement. Cuffe eventually used his boat-making skills and his wealth as a merchant to send a small group of free blacks to Sierra Leone, West Africa.

Martin Delany

Although men such as Paul Cuffe preceded him, abolitionist and writer Martin Delany (1812-1885) is often credited as the first proponent of black separatism. His 1852 book, "The Condition, Elevation, Emigration and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States, Politically Considered," was the first popular call for black nationalism in which he advocated relocation to Central America. By 1859, however, he was in West Africa, deeming the African continent a better choice. There, he negotiated with the rulers of the area for land acquisition.

Marcus Garvey

Marcus Garvey (1887-1940) took black separatism even further. He was perhaps the first man to espouse a socio-political unification of all people of African descent, a philosophy that came to be later known as Garveyism. To this end, Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL), an international self-help organization, in 1914 to cater to black people in the United States and beyond. He also began to work on a shipping line called the Black Star Line that would be responsible for transporting blacks back to Africa.

Malcolm X

Civil rights leader Malcolm X (1925-1965), who was once the most powerful minister in the religious organization known as the Nation of Islam, differed from his forebears in that he called for the establishment of a separate country in North America. However, it was to serve as an interim measure before black Americans could return to Africa. Meanwhile, in the United States, Malcolm X advocated the complete segregation of blacks and whites. A year before his assassination, however, Malcolm X disavowed his separatist views, strongly moved by his pilgrimage to Mecca.

References

• Racial Segregation
• "The Autobiography of Malcolm X"; Malcolm X and Alex Haley
• Martin Delany

Resources

• Marcus Garvey
• Paul Cuffe