“Mboya’s Rebuttal”

In 1969, the African American magazine Ebony ran an article that discussed the growing push in America for Blacks to move to Africa, including how the leaders of the new independent nations on the continent viewed such a move. Tom Mboya, the economic minister of Kenya, expressed grave concerns over such a sentiment because it threatened the new country’s development. His concerns were viewed negatively by many in the African American community, and he was heavily criticized. Fearing a loss of African American support (which was essential to the continued independence movements of other countries in Africa) and not wanting to lose the connection to fellow Blacks in America, Mboya wrote a response in the August 1969 issue of Ebony explaining his logic while also encouraging a strong link between the “back-to-Africa” movement and the efforts for equality in America.