UWRF welcomes councilman Larry Mboga

The Student Inclusion and Belonging Center presented Eau Claire councilman, Larry Mboga, to speak on Thursday, Feb. 12. This presentation was in observance of Black History Month, and aimed to connect with the audience through Mboga’s journey, as well as the importance of civil engagement. 

Larry Mboga came to the United States in the 80’s as a college student on an F-1 visa. After meeting his now-wife and deciding to settle down with her, he found himself on a journey to becoming a Wisconsin politician. He began his discussion by contextualizing his origins in Kisii, Kenya.

Coming from a family of eight and a community that valued connectedness, Mboga recalled that “public service didn’t start in Wisconsin – it started at home.” He described the experience of living in a place where food and company were shared, where children were the responsibility of an entire village, and where both joy and pain were handled together. It was expected that one acted in accordance with respect and humility, as actions “did not reflect you, [but] your parents.” This upbringing instilled in Mboga a desire to help those in his community, as well as a foundation for his adult beliefs and values. 

Upon moving to Minneapolis for his schooling, Mboga was faced with cultural shock. There was a stark contrast between what it meant to be “Black” in Kenya, and what others believed him to be in the U.S. He described a number of situations in which he felt disconnected from how others perceived him, from being met with slurs he had never had addressed to him, to feeling disconnected from his fellow Black classmates at Augsburg University.

Mboga reflected that the journey “wasn’t just physical, but emotional and political, too.” 

However, Mboga ultimately adjusted to his new life. Finishing college, he moved to Eau Claire with his wife and prepared for a family of his own. He recalled how it was the George Floyd movement at the time that spurred his call to action. He brought his children to a memorial, and it was there that he recognized the tension and distance between Minneapolis's police force and its citizens. Disheartened by this, Mboga led the organization of a community event in which the city’s relationship between government force and local communities could begin to heal following Floyd’ murder.

When asked what mindset it required for Mboga to grapple with such an uptaking, he responded that “[change] doesn’t begin with permission, it begins with responsibility.” And, in fact, Mboga felt responsible for helping his former Minneapolis community to heal. It’s what led him to reach out to the police departments, to set up games and refreshments in a public park, and it’s what ultimately pushed him to run for councilman when this event was met with gratitude, earnestness, and success.

Mboga determined for the audience that community events are the starting place for so many things – protest, politics, and even mitigation. It was this first step in Minneapolis that gave him the confidence to pursue such leadership back in Eau Claire. 

His first time running for city council, Mboga won his seat as the first Black and migrant elected official in Eau Claire, as well as the first elected Kenyan in America as a whole. He continues to lead with the intention of fostering community, and he hopes that students at UWRF take this to heart: “you don’t have to be born here to care about community – you just have to believe it’s yours, too.”