Filmmaker Troy Thomas Interviews Public Historians for Martial Arts History Documentary

AL-Mu’assis Karriem ABdAllah started training in karate at age 17 in 1962 and went on to become the first Black martial arts teacher in US history to develop his own system, the KA System. Filmmaker Troy Thomas of the Raleigh-based Thomas Photography and Film, through AL-Mu’assis: The Story of Karriem ABdAllah is shining a light on his life and legacy, in part by interviewing NC State historians Taylor Williams and Tammy Gordon.  

ABdAllah Sensei began teaching in Newark in early 1967, offering lessons for free at the Felix Fuld Court housing project. By the end of the year, he had established a dojo and started making champions. Covered in the press as “Karate’s Muhammed Ali” due to his high level of skill and  outspokenness, ABdAllah gained a reputation as an innovator, champion, and teacher. The larger martial arts community at the time, however, had trouble accepting the Grandmaster, as his style was so different from established forms. He taught an estimated 15,000 students in his career.

Filmmaker Troy Thomas, a native of New Jersey and graduate of Shaw University, first met AbdAllah Sensei through his father who introduced them and recognized a story that needed to be told. He has conducted over a dozen interviews including two with Grandmaster ABdAllah and expects to have the film finished by May of 2024. The trailer may be found at this link.  

Taylor Williams is  an MA student in Public History and specialist in the public history of African American sport particularly basketball and the Olympic movement. She has recently conducted research on urban displacement associated with Olympic cities and also on African American basketball and internationalism. For this project, Taylor discussed the ways in which Black athletes navigated around stereotypes in the 20th century.

Tammy Gordon is a Professor of Public History and 20th century history who explores the intersection of historical memory and the leisure economy, most recently with an oral history of Aikido, an art in which she holds a 3rd degree black belt. Her interview focused on the economics of martials arts in the 60s and 70s and the innovations Black martial artists had to make to bypass racial discrimination in the systems of credit and property shaping access to resources.

Thomas, Taylor, and Gordon hope to host a screening of the film at NC State in Fall 2024.

All photos courtesy of Thomas Photography & Film