🔺 Who Was MOVE?
MOVE was a revolutionary Black organization founded in Philadelphia in the early 1970s by Vincent Leaphart, who renamed himself John Africa. Guided by a belief in natural living, resistance to state oppression, and collective self-determination, MOVE rejected capitalism, processed food, organized religion, and systemic racism. They homeschooled their children, adopted a communal lifestyle, and treated all life — human, animal, and earth — as sacred.
They were not a cult. They were not violent aggressors. They were a radical response to the decay of a system that had long abandoned Black life.
🔺 What Did They Stand For?
MOVE’s philosophy, often called “The Guidelines of John Africa,” emphasized:
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Holistic living (no processed food, chemical products, or mainstream medicine)
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Self-defense against police brutality
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Environmental harmony
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Uncompromising truth-telling in the face of injustice
They viewed American institutions — courts, media, police — as tools of systemic genocide, especially against Black and poor communities.
🔺 Why Were They Targeted?
From the beginning, MOVE faced aggressive hostility from police and city officials, especially under Philadelphia’s mayor, Frank Rizzo. Their loud protests, noncompliance with housing codes, and political messaging led to years of harassment, surveillance, and standoffs.
In 1978, a major confrontation between MOVE and police resulted in the death of an officer. Nine MOVE members — known as the MOVE 9 — were convicted, despite widespread claims of injustice and planted evidence.
The city’s response escalated from legal prosecution to militarized suppression.
🔺 The 1985 Bombing
On May 13, 1985, the city of Philadelphia — with full approval from city leaders — dropped a military-grade bomb on MOVE’s rowhome on Osage Avenue, after a daylong standoff with police.
The explosion and resulting fire killed 11 people — including 5 children — and destroyed 61 homes in the surrounding Black neighborhood. The Philadelphia Fire Department was ordered to “let it burn.”
No police officer, city official, or government agent was ever held accountable.
🔺 Legacy and Continued Erasure
MOVE’s story remains largely untaught in American schools.
Its survivors, including Ramona Africa, continue to tell their story against media distortion and historical erasure.
In 2021, it was revealed that the bones of two MOVE children were held without consent by the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University for decades — a chilling reminder of the dehumanization Black families continue to face.
🔺 Why It Matters
MOVE was not just a group.
It was a warning.
That even in the 1980s — not the slavery era, not Jim Crow — Black revolutionaries, their children, and their homes could be bombed by their own government.
🖤 BLKSTORY Statement
We remember MOVE not just as victims of state violence, but as defenders of self-sufficiency, truth, and radical love.
This is not just history.
It is an archive of resilience.
It is a reminder of what was done to those who chose to live free.