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The Kennedy Airlift

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What came to be called The Kennedy Airlift was started in 1959 by a 28-year-old Kenyan named Tom Mboya, seeking support for promising Kenyan students to get college and university educations in the United States and Canada. It brought hundreds of students from East Africa from 1959 to 1963, and was supported by many North American educational institutions, foundations and individuals. These included the African American Students Foundation (AASF) and famous African Americans including Harry Belafonte, Jackie Robinson, Sidney Poitier and Martin Luther King Jr. It got its popular nickname in September 1960 when Senator Jack Kennedy, in a close Presidential campaign, arranged a $100,000 donation from the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr Foundation to cover airfare for the autumn 1960 group of East African students, just as the program was running out of funds.[1]

Background

The program began in earnest in 1959 when Mboya embarked on a speaking tour of the United States seeking scholarships for students from East Africa. The first batch of 81 students touched down on New York City on September 11, 1959. These students would be settled in various universities in the United States and Canada. In Kenya, Mboya liaised with Julius Kiano and Kariuki Njiiri to identify potential students for the airlifts. Kiano and Njiiri were both alumni of American universities[2][3]

The airlifts were opposed by Britain. Kenya was Britain's colony and Britain did not want the United States meddling with any of its colonies. British officials spread propaganda among top Kenyan students that American education was inferior to British education.

Legacy

The airlifts officially ended in 1963. Most of the graduates from American and Canadian colleges and universities went back to help build the newly independent Kenya. Some were employed even before they graduated. They were mainly employed in the public administration sector as district and provincial officers. While men found it easy to get jobs they qualified for, women faced a tougher challenge. Many were offered secretarial duties despite being better qualified than most male officers in the same departments. That said, the inclusion of women demonstrated foresight on the part of the airlift organisers. One of these women, Wangari Maathai, would win the Nobel Peace Prize, and another, Leah Marangu, would become the first female head of a university in Africa.[4]

Overall the accomplishments of the airlift students were significant. Several of them became entrepreneurs, cabinet ministers, members of parliament, university professors and academics who went on to build their countries. The airlift program also influenced the United States presidential election of 1960. The African american vote, which largely went the way of John F. Kennedy as opposed as Richard Nixon, was largely influenced by the support that the Kennedy foundation gave to the program.[4]

Many of the airlift students were the first black students at the universities they attended. Their manner, determination and persistence impressed many of the host communities and as a result, opened doors to African american students to attend these universities, therefore contributing to the civil rights struggle. The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama acknowledged that the airlift program enabled his Kenyan father to meet his Kansan mother.[4][5]

Notable Beneficiaries

Over 800 students, mainly from Kenya, benefited from the Kennedy Airlift. Notable recipients include Wangari Maathai (the first African female and first environmentalist Nobel prize winner), Mahmoud Mamdani, a prominent Ugandan Academic listed in the top 100 list of public intellectuals by Prospect Magazine and Prof. George Saitoti, former Vice President of Kenya. Other notable recipients include[3][4][6][7][8]

Academia and education

Diplomatic service

Environmentalism and conservationism

Journalism, writing and media

Politics, trade unionism and civil rights

Science, technology and medicine

Barack Obama Snr

Contrary to some media reports, Barack Obama Snr, Barack Obama's father, was not a direct beneficiary of the airlifts.[9] Inspired by the airlift program, he applied to various American universities and he received private funding to attend the University of Hawaii. He also received funding from the African American Students Foundation (AASF) with the help of Tom Mboya and was therefore part of the airlift generation.[4]

See Also

References

  1. ^ "JFK and the Student Airlift". John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  2. ^ https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Airlifts-to-the-US-The-first-Kenyans-to-study-in-America/434746-3472918-8ak1w4/index.html
  3. ^ a b Kenyan Student Airlifts to America 1959-1961: An Educational Odyssey by Stephens, Robert F.
  4. ^ a b c d e Airlift to America. How Barack Obama, Sr., John F. Kennedy, Tom Mboya, and 800 East African Students Changed Their World and Ours by Tom Shachtman
  5. ^ The other Obama-Kennedy connection. Article in: The Guardian. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jan/10/usa.uselections2008
  6. ^ The Spelman spotlight. (Atlanta , Georgia) 1957-1980, November 01, 1959 https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu/lccn/sn81304549/1959-11-01/ed-1/seq-1/
  7. ^ Colby College Libraries. https://issuu.com/colbycollegelibrary/docs/colby_magazine_vol._80_no._2_march_/79
  8. ^ Hall of Fame. Stephen Machooka. https://cornellbigred.com/hof.aspx?hof=594
  9. ^ https://www.thenation.com/article/african-airlift/
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