Both men were black and were mainly active in the United States in the early to mid-twentieth century, although Garvey was a bit older. Marcus Garvey (1887–1940) was born and raised in Jamaica, where he became a journalist and printer. His activism included founding and directing the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in Kingston. In 1916, he moved to the United States. Based in Harlem, he became an increasingly outspoken black nationalist and Pan-Africanist. The movement that came to be called Garveyism, or the Back-to-Africa movement, featured the promotion of reclaiming African roots and encouraged black Americans to move to Africa. Garvey was also a racial separatist, however, which linked him to white separatist groups such as the Klan. His involvement in fraudulent stock sales for his steamship company led to legal troubles and, ultimately, the discrediting of his ideas. Deported from the United States, he moved to England and lived the rest of his life there.

Paul Robeson (1898–1976) became well known as a performer (he was a singer and an actor) and for his political beliefs, as he was a communist. Robeson broke the color barrier in numerous ways, including his Broadway appearances in Eugene O’Neill’s The Emperor Jones (playing a character based in part on Garvey). However, conservative politicians attacked him for his politics; he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. Robeson left the United States and traveled widely. He suffered serious mental health problems and returned to spend his final years in the United States. Since his death, he has become even more revered as a civil rights pioneer.