Robert Hill is professor of history and editor-in-chief of the Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project at the University of California, Los Angeles. The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers began publication through the University of California Press in 1983.  Ten volumes have been published to date.  Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Ann's Bay parish of St. Ann on August 17, 1887. On July 20, 1914, Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association.  The U.N.I.A. was originally conceived as a reform association dedicated to racial uplift and the establishment of educational and industrial opportunities for blacks.  By the 1920s, Garvey's controversial goal to create an independent black nation made him one of the most powerful people in America -- and one of the most hated. The federal government targeted him as a threat to national security. Rival black leaders denounced him.

Drawing from his experiences as editor-in-chief of the Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project, Hill conducted a workshop on the editing process, which included organizing materials, evaluating and transcribing texts, applying textual and editorial conventions, and preparing the edition for the publisher.  This workshop was particularly useful for editors of such historical and literary documents as correspondence, journals, diaries, financial records, professional papers, and unpublished manuscripts.  Faculty and graduate students contemplating projects involving documentary editing benefited from this workshop.

The following web sites have additional information about The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers Project and Professor Robert Hill.