Although, the chapter was significantly
an analysis of Marcus Garvey and his role in the UNIA, the aspect of the
chapter that I found most interesting was the discussion of women. Beginning
with the role of Amy Jacques Garvey, Marcus Garvey’s wife, Hill presented an
aspect of the movement and association that is not typically as publicized and
analyzed. The gender divide was very prevalent throughout this section of the
chapter and Hill continued by mentioning that there were also class division
within the female groups of the UNIA and the parade. Although Hill acknowledged
that the parade was a “celebration of black manhood” and the UNIA mostly
restricted women from publically taking an active role in the “business of
politics,” he made clear the role that women played in legitimizing male
dominance. (p 192-193) However, with indoor UNIA ceremonies, women played a
more prevalent role, which was indicative of the domestication of women and
further legitimized the theory of “the primacy of black manhood as the dominant
ideal of the UNIA.” (p 193) Without more in-depth research of the African
cultures in which Garvey and the UNIA were attempting to portray, it is not
evident why this deliberate degradation of, yet utilization of females was
utilized to create the continuity particular between males and females in the
UNIA and continuously legitimize male dominance. I’m curious to further
research exactly where the connotations of domesticity of the female gender
originated for this particular association. Additionally, by not only allowing
themselves to be subjected to the supporting roles in the movement, but also seemingly
voluntarily performing these roles, can it be assumed that the women in the
procession and movement were proponents of the dominance of males or were they
simply accepting the only way they were allowed to participate in the movement?
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