Tom Mboya an African who came to America on his 26th birthday August 15, 1956 unknown in America, Mboya is the African who most influenced American history & culture. A Celebration honoring Mboya’s 70th takes place in Memphis Saturday August 15, 2026
MEMPHIS, TN, June 05, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ — The celebration will not only honor Tom Mboya, an extraordinary African figure whose profound influence on American history and culture remains largely unknown in the United States and, remarkably, purposefully obscured in his native Kenya. Mboya’s untold story is that of “the African who most significantly influenced American culture and history,” a narrative that has been tragically and specifically erased in Kenya and erased in Africa. The Tom Mboya story and remains a mystery in America and the most untold African, American and African/American story in American History.
Kenya’s birth while untold in Kenya and in America involves the story of America’s beloved President John F. Kennedy who was known as “Mr. Africa.” African independence leaders such as Sékou Touré, Tom Mboya and Kwame Nkrumah saw Kennedy as a unique U.S. politician who grasped their interests and voiced them in a way that Americans could understand.
What is unknown and untold in America during the 1960 first televised debate of Nixon and Kennedy, Kennedy opened the debate attacking Vice President Nixon and the administration on its Africa policy. Kennedy won the unofficial title of Mr. Africa, which helped to fuel his narrow electoral victory. Africa thus served successfully as an indirect and noncontroversial means to reach Black voters while skirting the explosive language of civil rights. It was just enough to win key industrial states without losing the Deep South, a masterful political juggling act.
The untold story of Kenya and Tom Mboya is that over 800 Africans thanks to Tom Mboya were able to attend college in America whereas Anthony “Amp” Elmore is calling for a movie, a museum and a model of American and Kenya relationships be known through-out the world whereas Kenya would be known as “The start of the Returning Point for African/Americans to learn about their African heritage.”
Anthony “Amp” Elmore is urging the Kenya Government to change its policy regarding African/Americans whereas Kenya official policy would note “African/Americans not as tourist, but as family” whereas African/Americans can be awarded the benefit of local fees as compensation for their families enduring the hardships of slavery in America. Elmore encourage the Kenya Government officials to come to Orange Mound to arrange an “official Trade, Culture and Family association with the African/American community.”
Seventy years prior, on August 15, 1956, a 26-year-old Tom Mboya arrived in America at the invitation of the American Committee on Africa (ACOA). This pivotal organization, co-founded by white activist George Houser who was one of the founders of “C.O.R.E.” or “Congress of Racial Equality” and Black civil rights icon Bayard Rustin . Rustin was a pioneer in the movement to desegregate interstate bus travel in 1942. Rustin – whose life was recently brought to wider public attention by the 2023 movie “Rustin” – was dedicated to fighting for African liberation and keeping Americans informed about the continent.
Rustin, famously the mastermind behind the iconic 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, helped lay the groundwork for Mboya’s impact. Click here to learn about Bayard Rustin. It was Barack and Michelle Obama who produced the “Rustin Movie.” Just as Bayard Rustin is lost in History is the Story of Tom Mboya.
Long before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or Dr. King’s seminal speech, Mboya’s arrival and subsequent actions set in motion one of the most significant yet untold achievements in the history of African and African American civil rights. He authored a pamphlet titled “The Kenyan Question: An African Answer” and embarked on a speaking tour across America, invited by ACOA. His presence and message began to reshape American perspectives in ways that would only later be fully understood, a story so impactful that it begs for cinematic portrayal. Anthony “Amp” Elmore a film producer desires to write, produce and direct the Tom Mboya movie.
The story of Tom Mboya, a phenomenon on par with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., has been deliberately obscured and erased in Kenya, as meticulously documented in David Goldsworthy’s 1982 book, “Tom Mboya: The Man Kenya Wanted to Forget.” The John F. Kennedy Library provides the clearest testament to Mboya’s influence, noting: “At a key point in the 1960 presidential campaign, a dynamic young leader from Kenya named Tom Mboya visited Senator John F. Kennedy. Mboya led a campaign of his own that would eventually bring hundreds of African students to America for higher education, including Barack Obama Sr., President Obama’s father. Kennedy’s decision to support the effort became an issue in the election and possibly a factor in his narrow victory.”
Their initial meeting in 1959 saw Mboya, a 28-year-old labor leader and rising political star in Kenya’s liberation movement, seeking scholarships for East African students. Kennedy’s interest led to the formation of the African American Students Foundation (AASF) with key supporters like businessman William Scheinman, baseball legend Jackie Robinson, singer Harry Belafonte, and actor Sidney Poitier. This foundation raised funds for airfare and living expenses, supplementing contributions from African families and tribal groups.
In September 1959, eighty-one East African students arrived in the U.S. on a chartered flight. The program’s success spurred AASF to secure scholarships for 250 more students in 1960, but a $90,000 funding gap for airfare remained. When appeals to the State Department and Vice President Nixon proved fruitless, Mboya returned to the U.S. and met with Senator Kennedy on July 26, 1960. Kennedy, after initial hesitation, committed $5,000 from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, eventually increasing the pledge to cover the entire $100,000 needed for the airlift, with an additional $100,000 for living expenses.
Though Kennedy requested his involvement remain private, news of the donation leaked, becoming a political issue in the 1960 election. Senator Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, a Nixon campaign strategist, publicly praised the State Department’s belated $100,000 offer, omitting Kennedy’s prior commitment and accusing him of “blatant political purposes.” Kennedy vehemently refuted the charges, detailing the sequence of events and proving his authentic commitment to educating Africans. This genuine support resonated deeply with Black Americans and undoubtedly contributed to Kennedy’s narrow victory.
Unknown and untold in America is the extent of Tom Mboya’s influence in America. Mboya’s impact extended far beyond the airlift. He lectured at hundreds of American colleges, presenting an image of an African never before seen: young, handsome, articulate, and capable of speaking for hours without notes. He embodied a pride and dignity that challenged the stereotypical images of Africa propagated by films like “Tarzan,” bringing an incalculable sense of pride to America. Howard University bestowed an honorary doctorate upon him, and he graced the covers of both Time and Jet magazines.
Unknown and untold is that the birth of Kenya through Mboya’s efforts was intrinsically linked to the American Civil Rights Movement. America embraced Mboya; former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt introduced him to Jackie Robinson, Harry Belafonte, and Sidney Poitier, who lent their names to fundraising letters for Kenyan students. Mboya even joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in advocating for school integration in Washington D.C. years before the “I Have a Dream” speech. Dr. King invited Mboya to Atlanta for a fundraiser, and his church even sponsored two Kenyan students. Civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph “adopted” Mboya as a son, and the AFL-CIO union contributed $35,000 for a union hall in Kenya.
Tom Mboya’s appearance on the cover of Time Magazine on March 7, 1960, was indeed an extraordinary and largely unsung moment in American history, particularly for Black America during the Jim Crow era. In a time when segregation and racial discrimination were legally enforced, for an African, especially a Black man, to be elevated to such a prominent national platform as the face of an entire continent, and one who championed education, humanity, and equal rights, was nothing short of revolutionary.
This wasn’t merely a recognition of Mboya’s burgeoning leadership in Kenya; it implicitly offered a powerful counter-narrative to the prevailing racist ideologies in the U.S. It presented a vision of Black leadership and intellect on a global scale, directly challenging the dehumanizing stereotypes prevalent in American society. While not actively marching in American civil rights protests, Mboya’s very image and the ideals he represented served as an inspiration and a de facto symbol of progress for Black Americans.
His presence on the cover of Time and also Jet Magazine, the premier Black publication, solidified his status as a significant international figure whose work resonated deeply with the aspirations of the Civil Rights Movement. His achievement underscored the interconnectedness of liberation struggles worldwide and highlighted the potential for Black excellence and leadership at a time when such recognition was fiercely fought for within the United States.
Remarkably, America’s first Black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, traveled to Britain to help draft Kenya’s constitution, a fact largely unknown to most Kenyans . America’s first Black Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, traveled to Britain to help draft Kenya’s constitution, a fact largely unknown today. Mboya, a visionary, even harbored the dream of a “United States of Africa.” In the summer of 1963, while Dr. King delivered his iconic I have a dream speech, Tom Mboya was negotiating Kenya’s constitution with Thurgood Marshall.
The year 1963 brought both tragedy and triumph: President Kennedy’s assassination in November, followed by Kenya’s independence on December 12. African Americans attended the inauguration, linking their struggle for civil rights to the liberation of Africa.
Unknown and untold in American history; in October 1964, civil rights leaders Malcolm X and John Lewis met in Kenya at the New Stanley Hotel. Malcolm X also met with Kenyan President Jomo Kenyatta. Kenya’s history to the Civil Rights movement goes untold. Sadly, Malcolm X, who after meeting with John Lewis in Kenya had committed to working with Dr. King after his meeting in Kenya with John Lewis just month later Malcolm X was assassinated.
The tragic assassinations continued: Dr. King in Memphis on April 4, 1968, and Robert Kennedy on June 6, 1968. Just weeks later, on July 5, 1969, Tom Mboya was assassinated, and his contributions were almost entirely erased from Kenya’s historical annals. The Americans who aided Kenya’s path to nationhood were largely forgotten, and Mboya’s story, along with his immense impact, died with him. Anthony “Amp” Elmore wants this story told via honoring Mboya’s 70th in Memphis.
In August of 2024 Governor Nyong’o invited Elmore as his guest in Kisumu Kenya at the FESTAC Black cultural celebration whereas Elmore upon his return to Memphis Elmore created “The African Cultural Diplomat Exchange Network.
Click here to see the video explaining the African Cultural Diplomat exchange Network.
It was in 1990 that Anthony “Amp” Elmore’s life changed during a visit to Kenya, dedicating himself to uniting Africans and African Americans. In 2013, Elmore traveled to Rusinga Island to pay his respects to Mboya. Now, Elmore is appealing to his friend, Kenya Governor Professor Nyong’o, and Kenya President Dr. William Ruto, to rectify this historical oversight. He urges them to come to Memphis in August 2026 to honor Mboya’s 70th anniversary and to establish a cultural, educational, and family relationship between Kenya and Black America, envisioning Kenya as the returning point for African Americans to connect with their African heritage.
This upcoming celebration in Orange Mound, America’s first Black community, seeks to honor the profound legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Kenya’s Tom Mboya. The event on August 15, 2026, marks 70 years since Tom Mboya, a pivotal African figure, first arrived in America. Despite his significant influence on American history and culture, Mboya remains largely unknown to many in the United States. The story of Mboya is related to the story of Jesus from the Gospel of Mark, specifically Mark 6:4. Jesus says, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own house.”
Elmore explains that we in America can provide a recognition to Tom Mboya not awarded to him in Kenya.
The narrative of this celebration is deeply intertwined with the story of Anthony “Amp” Elmore, a Memphis native, five-time world Karate/Kickboxing Champion, and Memphis’s first Independent 35mm theatrical filmmaker. Elmore’s 1988 film, “The Contemporary Gladiator,” holds the distinction of being the first kickboxing film in world film history. However, his pioneering cinematic achievement has faced significant erasure, notably by Linn Sitler, the Memphis Shelby County Film Commissioner. Furthermore, the Shelby County Historical Commission, in conjunction with the film Commission, unjustly installed a historical marker at G.E. Patterson and Main Street in Memphis, promoting the 1989 film “Mystery Train,” produced by white filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and backed by Japanese conglomerate JVC, over Elmore’s earlier work.
The city of Memphis, including arts organizations like Indie Memphis, Memphis Arts Council, and Orange Mound Arts Council, has been accused of contributing to the erasure of Anthony “Amp” Elmore’s legitimate role and honor as Memphis’s first Independent 35mm theatrical filmmaker, citing issues of white supremacy, racism, and black-on-black racism. Despite this local oversight, Elmore’s 1988 film, “The Contemporary Gladiator,” premiered in Nairobi, Kenya, in July 1990. This event was met with a hero’s welcome for Elmore, granting him privileges to a life-changing historical experience. His visit was particularly historic as he was among the first African Americans to visit Africa, just after Barack Obama’s first visit to Kenya in 1987, where Obama had relatives.
“The Contemporary Gladiator” proved historic in more ways than one. Beyond being the first kickboxing film in world film history, Anthony “Amp” Elmore is also the only world kickboxing champion to have his own biopic. This stands in a lineage of significant black biopics in American film history, such as “The Great White Hope” (1970), depicting boxer Jack Johnson, and “The Greatest” (1977), starring Muhammad Ali as himself. More recently, films like “Big George Foreman” (2023) continue this tradition. What makes Elmore’s contribution unique is that he, a world kickboxing champion, not only produced a biopic about himself but also created the first kickboxing film in global cinematic history, marking his efforts as a significant part of “black world history.”
Elmore’s career in Memphis was marked by several groundbreaking achievements. In 1981, he became known as the “Muhammad Ali of Kickboxing” and was the first to bring ESPN to his hometown. On May 29, 1982, he secured the PKA world heavyweight title in kickboxing. In 1983, he collaborated with then-Memphis Mayor Dick Hackett to promote the city by painting “Memphis America’s Distribution Center” on the ring canvas during his ESPN-televised bout. By 1986, Elmore was the first to bring BET (Black Entertainment Television) to Memphis for a telecast of his championship bout. His influence was recognized even earlier, with Memphis Magazine naming him among the “100 Most Influential Memphians” in 1983.
Inspired by Spike Lee’s 1986 film “She’s Gotta Have It,” Elmore decided to tell his own true story, contrasting it with the fictional narrative of “Rocky.” He enrolled in junior college, took typing and English courses, mortgaged his home, and transformed it into a film set, shooting scenes inside his home and in his Orange Mound backyard starting in December 1984. He filmed his independent kickboxing bouts, and when the PKA (Professional Karate Association) lost its contract with ESPN in 1984, Anthony “Amp” Elmore brought kickboxing to national television via Black Entertainment Television. His saving grace was digital technology and ownership of his kickboxing bouts, allowing him to use actual footage to create “The Contemporary Gladiator,” lending the film significant authenticity.
Fast forward to Kenya in 1990, the premiere of a black film was historic, made even more so by the fact that it was a real biopic. While Elmore was denied his rightful place as Memphis’s first independent 35mm theatrical filmmaker, his association with Kenya proved deeply historic and significant. He became the first person to bring African American groups to Kenya and introduced kickboxing to the nation in 1992. During this period, he met the late Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi, who named Elmore an African American ambassador. It was in 1990, during the film premiere, while on a safari, that the Kenyan government honored Elmore and his cast members. Elmore tearfully recognized he was among the first African Americans to return to Africa in such a capacity.
Upon returning from Kenya in 1990, Elmore’s life and mission shifted, dedicating himself to fostering unity between Africans and African Americans. He visited Kenya three more times in 1994, introducing kickboxing in March, producing the video “African Americans on a Kenya Safari” in July, and promoting a soul music concert in December. He spent the 1990s actively promoting Kenya. In 1995, he married a Kenyan woman, through whom he learned to prepare Kenyan foods. Although they are no longer married, they share a 26-year-old son, Anthony “Amp” Elmore Jr. His journey continued with a trip to Ghana in 1998 to produce a documentary film, which led him to open an African import store. In 2005, after divorcing his Kenyan wife, Elmore married an Ethiopian woman in 2006, leading him to create “the first all-African home in America,” furnishing his entire 5,000-square-foot residence predominantly with Ghanaian furnishings, including his wardrobe.
In 2006, Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen, newly elected, visited Elmore’s all-African home. With Congressman Cohen’s support, Elmore initiated the first Black History Month African dinners. This endeavor contrasted sharply with the stance of Memphis’s first African American Mayor, Dr. W.W. Herenton, elected in 1992, who, despite being a friend of Elmore and Elmore having met Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi, expressed disdain for Africa and avoided association with the continent. In December 2008, at a Christmas party, Elmore conveyed to Mayor Herenton that with a new President (Obama), there was an opportunity for trade with Africa. However, Mayor Herenton had supported Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in 2008. Elmore noted that for 16 years, he had implored Mayor Herenton to facilitate educational, family, and trade arrangements between Memphis and Kenya or Ghana, only to be told, “You gotcha boy Steve Cohen.”
In 2009, Elmore arranged for his designers in Ghana to create an African-styled Mudcloth tuxedo for President Obama. Congressman Cohen delivered the tuxedo to the White House, which accepted it, and President Obama sent Elmore a thank you note, informing them the tuxedo would be placed in the Presidential Library. In July 2009, due to unrest in Kenya, President Obama visited Ghana instead, where Congressman Cohen mentioned Elmore’s work. Elmore spent years trying to arrange trade, cultural, and family deals between Memphis and Kenya, but Kenya’s unrest posed challenges. Congressman Cohen then arranged for Elmore to meet with the Kenyan Ambassador.
Elmore first met Kenyan Ambassador Peter Ogego in 2009, who supported Elmore’s vision for Kenya and Black Americans. However, a subsequent meeting with Ambassador Ekanak Odembo, who visited Memphis, proved brutal. Ambassador Odembo, meeting Elmore at Congressman Cohen’s office in Washington D.C., bluntly stated that Kenya wanted nothing to do with Elmore. This occurred despite Elmore having previously facilitated Kenya’s honor at the yearly “Africa in April” celebration in 2006, which saw Kenya’s Minister of Tourism, Najib Balala, visit Memphis. Ambassador Odembo later explained to Elmore that his harshness was not personal but was due to Elmore having brought Najib Balala to Memphis, which resulted in Balala’s firing two months later by Kenyan President Kibaki.
In 2013, Kenya adopted a new Constitution and elected new governors. A Kenyan exile in Canada, having read Elmore’s story, arranged for him to meet six Kenyan governors and Mama Sarah Obama. Elmore recognized his story as the voice of Tom Mboya, anticipating that many would consider him “crazy” for telling it. In August 2016, marking Tom Mboya’s 60th anniversary, Elmore asked Congressman Steve Cohen to honor Mboya, emphasizing that “without an Mboya, there never could have been an Obama.” He also invited the late Tennessee State Senator Reginald Tate. In Orange Mound, they were the only ones globally to honor Tom Mboya’s legacy.
In 2017, Kenyans Richard Kiptoo and Aggrey Assava, inspired by Elmore’s story, traveled to Memphis to meet him. Arrangements were made for them to travel to Kenya to assist Elmore in building relationships between Memphis and Kenya, which Elmore did in 2018. Although Elmore did not meet with Kisumu Governor Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o during that trip, Kiptoo and Assava informed the governor about Elmore. Governor Nyong’o, with business in Minnesota, included a trip to Memphis in his itinerary to meet Elmore, arriving in late October 2019. This coincided with Memphis’s Bicentennial celebration, allowing Elmore to include their visit as part of the city’s festivities.
The Kenyan dignitaries, as Governor Nyong’o explained to Elmore, experienced something unique in America. Unknown to many Africans, there exists in America a deeply distorted, discriminatory, prejudiced, and uninformed understanding of Africa and Africans. Many African Americans, for instance, believe that Africans live in jungles and are afraid or embarrassed, fearing that Africans are “savages” who do not wear clothes, leading to a reluctance to travel to Africa due to fears of being eaten by wild animals. Most news emanating from Africa tends to be overwhelmingly negative. Historically, since the advent of African independence, there has been no instance where Africans have formally reached out to African Americans to offer a “formal state reception.”
Orange Mound is the 1st Community in America built for Blacks by Blacks. Anthony “Amp” Elmore is asking not only Kenya President Dr. William Ruto but Elmore is asking all African leaders to come not just to Washington D.C. but come to “Black America.” Orange Mound is “The Birthplace of African Cultural Diplomacy” whereas we build family, trade and education between Africa, America and African/Americans.
Via this news release Anthony “Amp” Elmore is asking President Obama to come to Memphis along with Michelle Obama who in 2016 named “Orange Mound A Preserved America Community.” On May 19, 2025 Elmore filed a lawsuit challenging Memphis White Supremacy, Racism and Black on Black Racism. That’s another story for another day.
Orange Mound News Network (OMNN). Founded by Anthony Amp Elmore, OMNN aims to reclaim and reshape the narrative of Orange Mound through the power of filmmaking, education, and content creation. Our goal is to challenge the negative stereotypes and biased portrayals that have long plagued our community, creating a positive space for family, Black culture, history, and education.
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