Which eccentric civil rights activist and self-declared "Provisional President of Africa" founded the massively popular, black nationalist Universal Negro Improvement Association?

Garvey had a charismatic, larger than life presence with dreams big enough to match. He didn't just champion the black nationalist movement—he bought three ships intended to transport black Americans back to Africa. But Garvey's Black Star Shipping Company was a mess: the ships were in poor repair and the company mismanaged (perhaps fraudulently), and Garvey died never having set foot in Africa. A highly polarizing figure in his day, Garvey's controversial acts included meeting with the Grand Wizard of the K.K.K. to coordinate their shared mission to send blacks back to Africa. But his legacy is largely positive; he is credited for his contribution to the black civil rights movement (including coining the phrase "Black is Beautiful") and his influence on subsequent black nationalist movements in Africa as well as the U.S.

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