The Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL) is a Black Nationalist fraternal organization founded by Marcus Mosiah Garvey. The organization was at it's best in the 1920's.

The UNIA is a "social, friendly, humanitarian, charitable, educational, institutional, constructive and expansive society, and is founded by persons desiring to do the utmost to work for the general uplift of the people of African ancestry of the world.

The three pieces of artwork for 'Opportunity Magazine: The Journal of a Negro Life,' are reflective of an important movement in Black History because it was associated with the Harlem Renaissance.

Published: 1923

Edited By: Charles S. Johnson

I found three different covers for this magazine. This picture to the right is my favorite because the children are drawn and shown happy, healthy and free of harm in a time period that was not so great to then. They are on the cover of a magazine and I'm sure that was not something m=people seen often in 1923 unless they lived in Harlem or was subscribed to 'Opportunity.'

 The motto of the organization is 'One God! One Aim! One Destiny!'

Background: Blanche Grambs

She was an American artist who was known for her prints depicting the Great Depression, coal miners, the poor, and the unemployed.

Grambs was actively political, attending classes in Marxist theory at the New York Workers School and participating in communist rallies. Grambs' work reflected her political leanings and commitment to social reform.

This photo pictured at the right is my favorite picture by Grambs because she is a relatable woman. She looks tired, fed up and like she has too much on her mind. 

When I look at artwork by Grambs, she seems to bring out emotions of the people she draws. Because she depicts poor people in her drawings, this woman has a lot to worry about.

Fun Fact: She was arrested in 1936 at an organized sit-in, protesting cuts to the WPA FAP budget.

Background: Bernard P. Schardt

Bernard P. Schardt was a graphic artist who resided in New York City during his career as an artist. Schardt's drawings and prints portrayed the working class during the Depression.

My favorite drawing of Schardt's, pictured below, is the 'Woman in the Kitchen,' pictured at the right. The colors used in the drawing are vibrant and the lines on the woman show stress and hard work. I think this is a wonderful piece of art that speaks to the amount of work that it must have been for an African American woman during that time.

Background: Nan Lurie

Nan Lurie was an American printmaker and engraver known for 1930s works about racism and about the daily life of African Americans.

Her artwork is the most unique work featured on this webpage.

This is my favorite piece of artwork on this webpage. Nan Lurie had her own style and I think this shows a sense of what America had to offer. Some of the main words you notice include 'Discover' and 'Traveler,' and that is what America was built off of: discoveries and travelers! 

Lurie does and amazing job at making you think about this Promised Land. The words you notice are traveler, discover, cruise and fun. These words are very relevant to the people who traveled to the Promis Land in order to have a better life and the picture is the chaos that it too to get here.