Moses Powell (1941–2005), also known as Master Musa Muhammad,[5] was an American pioneer of martial arts in the United States.[6][7] He was born in Norfolk Virginia.[8] He held the rank of 10th degree black belt, and was famous for his one finger forward roll.[3] Moses Powell was the first martial artist invited to perform a demonstration in front of the United Nations.[8] One of the first African Americans to instruct the DEA, FBI, and the Secret Service in martial arts.[3] He was also a featured demonstrator New York's World Fair in 1965.[8] Notable for being a black martial artist (of minority ethnicity in the United States), he served as an instructor to movie star Wesley Snipes.[3] He appeared in the documentary, the Warrior Within.,[9] along with Chuck Norris.[3] He was also the founder of the Sanuces Ryu Jujutsu system. Additionally, he never co-signed any other systems.[10]
Moses Powell appeared on the cover of Official Karate Magazine in September 1973, Spring 1982, and February 1976.[11] He was covered in Legends of American Martial Arts (DVD) [12]
Moses was also noted in the book Unlocking The Healing Powers in Your Hands: The 18 Mudra System of Qigong as a master of Jujitsu.
Master Moses Powell also appeared in the movie Gordon’s War. It was also during this time of the early to mid-’70s that Master Moses Powell also established Sanuces schools on Atlantic Avenue Brooklyn NY, in Hartford Connecticut, and various other places in and out of New York City. Master Moses Powell, also known as Musa Muhammad, had even established roots in Philadelphia, PA during this time with the help of his good friend from the very famous Tong Dojo of Brooklyn NY, Sensei Uthman Abdus-Salaam.
In 1977, Master Moses Powell was inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame. In 1979, Master Moses Powell, along with his wife Janice Hardy Powell, left New York and relocated in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. A long time student named Rex Lee had come to live in Florida prior to Master Moses Powell and his family moving there also. Two other students, Gino Alfarano and Veronica Walker, also left New York to join their teacher, Master Moses Powell. It was there, in Ft. Lauderdale, that a new evolution of Sanuces Ryu Jiu Jitsu took place.