Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Between 1911 and 1921 thousands migrated to the Caribbean basin on the United Fruit Company’s “Great White Fleet,” a line of steamships that carried bananas, sugar, cacao, and passengers between the principal ports of the United States, the West Indies, and Latin America. Improved access to transportation contributed to the mobility of black immigrants throughout the Caribbean basin. Wherever they went, these migrants took the Marcus Garvey’s United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) with them. The UNIA in Cuba and elsewhere served as the migrant’s civic association, social club, and much more.
