The work of NARA historian Anthony "Amp" Elmore represents a forensic reconstruction of lost history that challenges conventional religious narratives. Elmore's research, grounded in 19th-century scholarship, asserts that Buddhism originated with ancient African Cushite civilizations, establishing what he terms "Black Buddhism" as a sovereign spiritual category separate from Asian-led traditions. This historical reclamation has significant implications for understanding religious origins and addressing systemic erasure of Black contributions to global spirituality.
Elmore builds his case on the 1833 masterwork Anacalypsis by British historian Sir Godfrey Higgins, who spent over twenty years investigating world history and concluded that the foundation of all human civilization and spirituality is the "Negro Religion" of Buddhism. Higgins documented that the "celebrated Black Buddha" was humanity's primary savior figure, with ancient icons across Asia and the Nile Valley depicting distinct African features. This research establishes that the "Black Buddha" is the original source from which Western mythos—including stories of Christ, Krishna, and Hermes—eventually flowed.
The historian differentiates between two primary historical epochs in what Higgins called the "Taxonomy of the Buddha." The "Elder Buddha" is identified as Hermes Trismegistus (the African Thoth), the master of the Nile Valley who codified the first systems of writing, mathematics, and spiritual science. This figure represents the ancient "African Christ," a teacher of universal law whose wisdom was built on the sovereignty of the Black mind. Thousands of years later, the "Younger Buddha," known as Shakyamuni of India, emerged to revitalize this same Cushite science.
Higgins' forensic breakthrough was realizing that the life stories of these figures are identical to the narrative of Jesus. He asserts that the "Roman Christ" is a later, Eurocentric adaptation of the primary "African Christ," proving that the roots of the Christian church were planted in the soil of a Black Buddhist past. This perspective posits that the "Missing Link" of Western religious history is found in the ancient Cushite civilizations of the Nile and Indus Valleys, which exported sophisticated spiritual science long before the rise of the Roman Church.
For contemporary understanding, this history creates a definitive Line of Demarcation. It proves that the Proud Black Buddhist World Association is not a religious organization practicing an "adopted" Asian faith, but a sovereign body reclaiming lost Cushite heritage. Elmore's position as a NARA historian provides institutional authority to challenge what he identifies as Eurocentric and Asian-centric "rewrites" of history, asserting that the roots of both Christianity and Buddhism are inextricably linked to Black, African heritage.
Elmore's work extends beyond theoretical history to address contemporary spiritual practice. He distinguishes between "Black Buddhism" and "Blacks who practice Buddhism," arguing that most Black practitioners operate via the agency of Asian Buddhist sects, whereas "Black Buddhism" represents culture and practice via "Black Agency." This distinction became physically manifest in 2019 when Elmore was expelled from the Facebook Black Buddhist Society, an event documented in the video "Black Buddhist Society: Un-Enlighten Buddhist who practice Black on Black Racism". Elmore characterizes this conflict as a collision between Independent Spiritual Sovereignty and Institutional Dependency.
The historian further critiques what he calls the "systematic extrication" of Black history from Buddhist practice by modern Asian organizations. He argues that sects like Nichiren Shoshu, Soka Gakkai International, and Nichiren Shu prioritize Sanskrit as Buddhism's "sacred" language, aligning with a "whitewashed" version of history that replaces original Black/African origins with lighter-skinned narratives. Elmore emphasizes that the Pali language—the language of original Black practitioners in the Indus Valley—serves as the authentic record of Black Buddhist science.
Elmore's lecture "Black Folk Introduction to the Science of Buddhism" bridges perceived divides between Black Christian experience, ancient Nile Valley history, and modern theoretical physics. He redefines Buddhism as a "Sacred Science" where "God and Science meet," explaining the Lotus Sutra's title Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through physics and vibration. This framework positions chanting not as traditional prayer but as "tuning" one's life frequency to universal rhythm—a concept he describes as a "warrior science" for manifesting victory in daily life.
The implications of this research extend to historical iconography. Elmore presents the "Black Madonna and Child" found throughout Europe as iconographic evidence of Buddhism's African origins, identifying these figures as the original Buddha and his mother Maya. He argues that European populations worshiped the "Black God" for centuries prior to the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, suggesting deliberate historical whitewashing transformed Black Buddhist science into Roman Christianity.
By documenting the 1879 founding of Orange Mound as a "Sovereign Timeline," Elmore demonstrates that struggles for Black homeownership and spiritual enlightenment are interconnected journeys. His work transforms local community history into what he calls a global "Capital of Sovereignty," empowering the African Diaspora to recognize their inherent "Buddha Nature" and role as true researchers of record for the world's most significant spiritual narratives. This historical reclamation moves beyond religious dogma to establish what Elmore terms a "Scientific Record" of the African Diaspora's contributions to global spirituality.
