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Lesson 3

AIMS AND OBJECTS OF THE U.N.I.A.

1.To establish a universal confraternity among the race.

We mean by this that there must be a linking up of fraternal relationship with all the members of the Negro race to the exclusion of none.

Every Negro in the world must be a part of the confraternity. Every Negro’s interest must come first in all the things of humanity. Not until you have served every Negro in the world should you seek to be kind to others. Charity begins at home.

The home of the Negro race is all over the world. You must attend to them first before you think of others. If you have a shilling or twenty-five cents to give away to charity, before you give it to other charities see that all other Negro charities are first attended to. So long as there is need in your race, attend to it first and always. Never deny help to your own race.

This is the meaning of confraternity. One for all and all for one. Never depart from this.

2.To prompt the spirit of pride and love.

It must be the mission of all Negroes to have pride in their race. To think of the race in the highest terms of human living. To think that God made the race perfect, that there is no one better than you; that you have all the elements of human perfection and as such you must love yourself.

Love yourself better than anybody else. All beauty is in you and not outside of you. God made you beautiful. Confine your affection to your own race and God will bless you and men will honor you.

Never be unkind to your race. Never curse your race. If anything is being done that is wrong by a member of your race, try to put him right. Don’t condemn him without hearing him. Give him a chance to do what is right, before you denounce him. If he provokes you, try to put up with his ignorance and persuade him to be kind, good and gentle.

3.To reclaim the fallen.

Whenever a member of your race is down; pick him up. Whenever he wants genuine help and you can help him; do so. Never leave him stranded and friendless. If you cannot help him yourself, send him to someone of the race who can help him. Put an arm of protection around him and keep him from going wrong and feeling absolutely friendless.

4.To administer and assist the needy.

Let it be your highest purpose in life to assist the needy members of your race. Use all your influence in your country, state and town to help the needy elements of your race.

Seek government help for them. Seek philanthropic help for them. Seek help anywhere you can find it so that they may improve their condition.

5.To assist in civilizing the backward tribes of Africa.

Africa is the motherland of all Negroes. All Negroes were taken from Africa against their will and forced into slavery. Africa is the natural home of the race. One day all Negroes hope to look to Africa as the land of their vine and fig tree. Therefore, it is necessary to help the tribes that live in Africa to advance to a higher state of civilization. The white man is not conscientiously doing it; although he professes to do so. This is only his method of deceiving the world.

It is the Negro who must help the Negro. To help the African Negro to achieve civilization is to prepare him for his place in a new African state that will be the home of all Negroes.

6.To assist in the development of independent Negro nations and communities.

The Negro should develop every section of the communities in which he lives that is his, so that he may control that section or part of that community.

He should segregate himself residentially in that community so as to have political power, economic power and social power in that community.

If he scatters himself about the community, or if other people live in the community, he will be scattering his power and dividing it up with other people. If there are ten thousand Negroes in a town, they should live close to each other. If there are five hundred, one thousand, or one million in a town, they will have the power of their numbers to do business, to appeal to the governor, and to voice their rights as citizens. In this respect segregation is good. To do otherwise is bad.

7.To establish commissionaries or agencies in the principal countries and cities of the world for the representation and protection of all Negroes, irrespective of nationality.

This means that there must be someone in every city whose business it will be to look after the interest of Negroes who may come into that city or country. His position will be like that of an ambassador, consul, or consular agent of a nation.

He will interest himself in all the things affecting the Negro race and see to it that no advantage or abuse is taken or made of a Negro who comes into the city or country.

He is to report all happenings affecting the Negro; and those happenings in which the Negro is interested, to the U.N.I.A. This will not be necessary where Negroes have a community of their own, but is applicable only to foreign countries, such as Europe, Asia, and South America, where the Negro may live in large numbers and have no contact with the government.

8.To promote a conscientious spiritual worship among the native tribes of Africa.

Considering that there are so many different religious thoughts, the Negro should be brought under the influence of one system of religion and the belief in one God. An honest effort should be made to instruct him in his particular desires and not to exploit him by teaching him different religions.

There is to be no speculative idea behind his religion.

9.To establish universities, colleges, academies and schools for the racial education and culture of the people.

This means that we are not to become satisfied with the educational system of the white man which has been devised by him for his own purpose; to lead others to obedience to his system.

The Negro must have an educational system of his own; based upon the history and tradition of his race. Therefore, the textbooks must be different than the white man’s textbooks. The white man’s books laud him and outrage the Negro. In such textbooks the Negro should substitute all that is bad affecting him for what is good relating to him.

Therefore, the Negro should not be satisfied with a college or university education from white schools. He should add to his schooling by going to his own schools and universities, where possible, or read such textbooks that have been adopted by his schools and colleges. These books should glorify the Negro; just as the white man’s system glorifies the white man.

10.To conduct a world-wide commercial and industrial intercourse for the good of the people.

The economic life of the Negro is important. He lives by eating, wearing clothes, and living in a home. These are essential. To get these things he must work either with his hands or his brains.

The economic system lays down the fact that commerce and industry are the feeding factors in the economic life. Hence, it is absolutely necessary that the Negro builds an economic structure sufficiently strong enough to feed the arteries of his existence.

Therefore, the Negro should indulge in every kind of business that is necessary to earn profit; because it is by profit that he will be able to obtain life’s necessities for himself and his race.

11.To work for better conditions in all Negro communities.

There should be a ceaseless effort among Negroes everywhere to improve their condition in every department of life and make their communities so prosperous as to compel the respect of their neighbor. No stone should be left unturned to advance from one stage of development and progress to another. There is always work to do in this respect.

Application

All the funds of the U.N.I.A. are supposed to be directed in these channels. The funds of the U.N.I.A. must be used for the race, and only the race. These funds belong to no one individual or group of individuals. They are held in trust for the race. All the profits made from investments in different companies that it controls must ultimately be used for the good and welfare of the Negro race at large.

U.N.I.A. property will be held in trust for the Negro race. Its wealth will be held in trust for the Negro race for serving generations yet unborn.

The U.N.I.A. shall go on eternally; with one generation handing it down to the next. No one person or persons can claim such wealth because it is for the race in perpetual existence. Stress this everywhere you go so that people may know that what they contribute to the U.N.I.A. is not loss to them. Let them know that their future generations may benefit from the gift they give today.

Black Nationalism

The culmination of all the efforts of the U.N.I.A. must end in Negro independent nationalism on the continent of Africa. That is to say, everything must contribute toward the final objective of having a powerful nation for the Negro race. Negro nationalism is necessary. It is political power and control.

No race is free until it has a strong nation of its own; its own system of government and its own order of society. Never give up this idea. Let no one persuade you against it. It is the only protection for your generation and your race. Hold on to the idea of an independent government and nation as long as other men have them.

Never be satisfied to always live under the government of other people because you will always be at their mercy. Visualize for yourself and your children and generations unborn, your own king, emperor, president, your own government officials and administrators, who look like you.

God never could have intended to make you look as you look and as you are, and make your king, president, emperor or ruler of a different race than you are.

This must not be a license for you to disobey the laws of kings of other races or rulers of other races, while you live under their control. You must always seek and work for a government absolutely your own, where you and your children will have a chance like anybody else in the state; to have a chance to rise from the lowest to the highest position; which you may not attain under other governments. While you are under alien governments get the best out of them as the rights of citizenship; but always have in view doing something to make it possible for your race to have a nation and a government of its own. Speak of this, dream of this, work unceasingly for this and never forget this, for this is the great task of the U.N.I.A.

Never confuse your ideas about Negro nationality with that of other peoples, so as to think that their nationality is good enough for you.

Never think that if Japan gains control of the world, they will treat you better than Anglo-Saxons or Latins. Don’t think that if the Chinese or Indians get control of the world your position will be better. All other races and nations will use you just the same; as slaves and underdogs.

Therefore, your only protection is to have your own government. Don’t encourage Negroes to join Japanese, Chinese, Indian or any other movements; with the hope of getting greater freedom. They will never get it, because all peoples want all things for themselves.

Explain this thoroughly and sufficiently so as to discourage ignorant Negroes from thinking otherwise. You should teach Negroes to have pride in their own nationality and teach them not to try to wear garments that typify membership in other nationalities. It is ridiculous and people laugh at them for doing so. Teach Negroes to look for honor in their own race and from their own nation and to serve their own race and nation to get such honors.

Any honors they can get from any other race for serving that race they can get from their own for serving their race. Therefore, don’t waste time in that. You can have your own king, emperor, pope, duke, your own everything. Therefore, don’t bow down to other races for recognition.

When you have honored your own men and women, recognize that honor before the whole world to let the world know that you honored your own. If the world laughs at those you have honored; ask them if they want you to laugh at those they honored. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. If they laugh, laugh at them.

A white king has no more right to drive in a golden coach than your king and sovereign. Their pope has no more right to put on sacred robes than your pope. Their dukes and nobles have no more right to be dressed up in feathers than your dukes or nobles. Therefore, have pride in yourself and honor yourself.

Don’t allow the other nations to get ahead of you in anything. Follow the idea of the Japanese. Every ship the other races build the Japanese build one. Every university the other races build for teaching men, the Japanese build one. Do the same. Always have your own because there will not be enough to accommodate you later on. Create your own.

Every Japanese you see is working for the good of his nation. Every white man you see is working for the good of his nation. Teach every Black man to work for the good of his nation. In conversation with him never leave him until you have persuaded him to this line of thought.

Go to all your lawyers, doctors, and ministers and talk this into them. Argue with them until they perspire confession. Go back again and again and talk until you get your man and let him work for a nation.

Always talk about a nation. Always feel that you see the nation. Use the object lessons of other nations to convince your people of the reality of a nation.

The sovereign of a people is in the nation. It is the result of a people forming a society of their own to govern themselves and to achieve their ends.

People with different outlooks and of different races never join together except they are subdued. They always find independent expression and action. The highest expression of this independence is in the sovereignty of a nation.

The flag of a nation is the emblem that signifies the existence of that nation. Have your flag. It is red, black and green. Be proud of it for it is the emblem of your race. When other nations exhibit theirs, exhibit yours. Make songs about your nation and sing them. Write poetry about your nation and read it; recite it. Glorify your nation in music and songs. Don’t sing the songs of other races. Don’t recite the inspirational poems of other races. Sing and recite your own.

Everything that inspires other races turn into your own tune and fit it to suit your own inspiration and idealism. See only yourself in everything. Make your nation the highest expression of human idealism. Then live up to it.