Laura Adorkor Kofi, also known as Mother Kofi, was a Ghanaian minister and activist associated with the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). She was assassinated on March 8, 1928, while delivering a sermon at a church in Miami, Florida. Kofi was a prominent figure who had moved to North America around 1918 and worked as a national field director for Marcus Garvey's UNIA.
She later founded the African Universal Church in 1927, which led to tensions with Garvey and his followers.
On the night of her assassination, Kofi was speaking at Fox Thomson's Hall in Liberty City, Miami. As she began her sermon, a man identified as Maxwell Cook, a Jamaican follower of Marcus Garvey, shot her twice in the head. Kofi died instantly from the gunshot wounds. The congregation, in a fit of rage, immediately turned on Cook and beat him to death before the police could arrive. This violent incident not only resulted in the deaths of Kofi and Cook but also marked a significant turning point in the history of the UNIA in Miami.
The murder of Laura Adorkor Kofi led to several arrests and investigations. Two high-ranking UNIA supporters who had accompanied Cook to the church were arrested, but no convictions were made. The assassination and subsequent events highlighted the deep divisions and animosities within the African American activist community at the time. Kofi's death turned her into a martyr for her followers, and her funeral was attended by thousands of mourners in several cities. She was laid to rest in a mausoleum in Jacksonville's Old City Cemetery, dressed in robes of black, green, and red, symbolizing her dedication to the African cause.
The aftermath of Kofi's assassination saw continued efforts by her followers to carry on her work. The African Universal Church, which she had founded, persisted under new leadership, and her legacy lived on through the community she had built. Despite the tragic end to her life, Laura Adorkor Kofi's contributions to the African American religious and activist movements remain significant, and her story is a testament to the challenges and struggles faced by early 20th-century black leaders in America.
