Kempo-Goju Karate was started in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in September 1970 with a student enrollment of four. Classes were held in a small room of the Northside Y.M.C.A two nights per week. As word got out, enrollment began to grow. It wasn’t until the spring of 1972 that the first Kempo-Goju school was established as the first and only African American Martial Arts School in the state of Wisconsin. From the original Milwaukee location, Kempo-Goju spread to other training halls in the city and locations throughout the state. Kempo-Goju’s past and present students include individuals from an array of backgrounds, ages, and professions. From the early 1970s until the present, Kempo-Goju Karate has established a strong tradition of community leaders, tournament competitors, public demonstrations of skills, and professional fighters unmatched by any other school in the state.
The roots of Kempo-Goju Karate lie in the decision by Charles Warren to combine two martial arts systems: Chinese Kempo and Japanese Goju Ryu Karate. In 1964, while starting a tour of duty for the U.S. Air Force, Master Warren trained extensively with Bob Cummings, 4th Dan in Kempo Karate and a student of Professor Adrian Emperado of Hawaii. In the mid-1960s, while stationed in Japan, Master Warren trained with Gogen Yamaguchi, the head of the Japanese Goju-Kai Goju Ryu and Master Rank in the Goju Ryu system. Upon returning to the United States, Master Warren decided to blend the circular and rapid hand techniques of Kempo with the striking, blocking, and traditional forms of Goju Ryu. Since the early 1970s, Kempo-Goju Karate has continued to grow by integrating a number of additional martial arts into the system including judo, aikido, grappling, jodo, and iaido. As such Kempo-Goju Karate seeks to develop a well-rounded martial artist; one who is versed in different disciplines and able to handle him/herself regardless of the situation.