ABSTRACT
The columns in the Negro World and the Universal Negro Improvement Association's (UNIA) political program systematically dealt with gender issues along with a range of sexual topics as Garveyites rank-and-file members as well as movement leaders. This chapter assesses sex in terms of nationhood, gradual racial purification, popular eugenic theory, and the possibility of extinction. Sex-segregated activity continued into adulthood, with most UNIA women whether they channeled their energies into auxiliary work or participated in general forums finding themselves in situations that mirrored places in the home. From the eradication of socioeconomic oppression to the acquisition of political power, from the promotion of collective endeavor to the inculcation of self-love, racial chauvinism shaped the UNIA's economic, industrial, cultural, and social programs for group preservation. Understanding the sexual politics of racial reproduction within the black nationalist UNIA program entails highlighting intraracial dynamics, and it particularly requires close consideration of the places accorded women by the movement.
