Rethinking Garveyism as Religion: The UNIA Universal Negro Ritual and UNIA Universal Negro Catechism

New developments in anthropology since the publication of Randall K. Burkett's Garveyism as a Religious Movement (1978) have led to new directions within ritual studies. Criticized by the NAACP as "silly rituals," the theology of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) is probably the least studied and most misunderstood aspect of the UNIA's religious life, which was centered around the African diaspora. However, the ritual and catechism of the UNIA was arguably the motivating factor driving people to become members. The ritual and catechism supported and sustained the spiritual life of the group. Here I reexamine the theological framework of the UNIA ritual and catechism and the ways in which the ritual life was interpreted and understood by the members of both the UNIA and the African Communities League (ACL).