On Sat., June 8, 2019, there will be a Celebration and Tribute to Ramona Africa, on her birthday. We want to celebrate Ramona’s improving health, cancer-free status, that she is back home, and all the work and love she has and continues to give. Ramona will be attending!
On a Move,
The Move Family
LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA FOREVER
Interview with Debbie Africa, Mike Africa Sr and Mike Africa Jr
February 26, 2019
Reprint from Global Research News Hour
“There are so many injustices in this system, man, about the things they do to people, the harm they cause to people. It’s not just MOVE that are treated horribly like this.” – Mike Africa Sr, MOVE 9 member interviewed
Global Research: It’s a pleasure to have you on our show, thank you so much for
Mike Africa Sr: You got it, man! On a move!
Debbie Africa: On A Move!
Global Research: Debbie, Mike Sr, please, if you could, could you convey to our listeners the feelings that you experienced on having finally being released and being reunited with each other and with your kids and grandkids for the first time after 40 years behind prison walls?
Debbie Africa: Relief. I always tell the story that when I was first sent to prison in …1978, my oldest child was only 2 years, she wasn’t even 2 years old yet. And Michael Jr wasn’t born yet. So, I was pregnant with him. I had a
And, without even realizing how long I felt so heavy, when I finally got released it was like a weight just came off of my heart, and that’s really all I can explain to you. As soon as I walked out that door, Michael Jr was there and the family was there – his wife, his children, which are my grandchildren, it was just like the weight was just lifted up off of my heart … it was just a really great feeling, to know that they finally, finally did something they were supposed to do. Release us.
Read (and hear) the rest of this interview: https://www.globalresearch.ca/black-history-trump-era-resistance-mumias-plight-and-freedom-for-the-move-9/5669694
Eddie Africa remains in Pennsylvania, but correspondance goes to Florida

The State of Pennsylvania, out of all the other States in America, has taken draconian restrictions on mail. Prison authorities are opening legal mail and photocopying it in direct violation of the First Amendment. They are also doing so to personal mail. Now when you write Eddie Goodman Africa (#AM4974) you need to write to SCI Phoenix in St. Petersburg, Florida, which copies the mail and sends the copy to Eddie! There are lawsuits challenging the legality of these changes. In the meantime, send Eddie a card or letter so Eddie can have extra mail to make up for all the mail to him going to Pennsylvania that is not being delivered:
Edward Goodman Africa #AM4974
SCI Phoenix
P.O. Box 33028
St. Petersburg, FL 33733
‘I’m ecstatic’: black liberation prisoner Mike Africa Sr released after 40 years
Reprinted from The Guardian
October 23, 2018
By Ed Pilkington
Member of the radical Philadelphia-based group Move 9, sentenced after violent confrontation with police in 1978, reunited with wife Debbie Africa and son Mike Jr
Mike Africa Sr has become the second member of the Philadelphia-based group of black radicals known as the Move 9 to be released from prison, more than 40 years after they were arrested for the death of a police officer in one of the most dramatic shootouts of the black liberation era.
He was paroled from SCI Phoenix prison in Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning [October 23, 2018] to be reunited with his wife Debbie Africa, who was also let out on parole in June having been arrested alongside him at the climax of a police siege in 1978. They were joined by their son, Mike Africa Jr, who until Tuesday had never spent time with both parents in the same room.
“I’m ecstatic coming from where I was just a couple of hours ago,” Mike Sr told the Guardian, speaking from his son’s house outside Philadelphia. “I wasn’t convinced in my mind that this would happen until I walked out the prison gates.”
He said it was amazing to be reunited with his wife, who was held in separate women’s prisons for 40 years. “I missed her and I loved her. She’s been my girl since we were kids. That’s never wavered at all.”
Debbie Africa said she was overwhelmed to have her family back.
Mike Africa Sr’s release marks a big step in the struggle of black militants who are still behind bars decades after they were arrested for police killings and other violent acts in the late 1960s and 1970s. The Guardian highlighted their plight in July.
Eighteen individuals, including two Move women, Janine Phillips Africa, and Janet Hollaway Africa, remain in prison. Many of them insist they are innocent of the charges brought against them.
In the case of the Move 9, they were convicted collectively of the death of a police officer, James Ramp, in the 1978 siege of their group home in Philadelphia even though only one shot killed him. Debbie Africa was eight months pregnant at the time.
Mike Africa Sr’s parole is of even greater consequence for his family, and especially for his son Mike Africa Jr, who for 40 years has never seen both of his parents together or out of prison. He was born in a cell where his mother Debbie gave birth to him a month after she and her husband were arrested during the siege.
For three days Debbie kept her baby son concealed in the cell, hiding him under the covers, until she was forced to hand him over to prison guards. With both parents imprisoned until the eve of his 40th birthday, Mike Jr effectively became an orphan of the black liberation struggle.
He was raised by relatives and other members of Move and now lives with a family of his own outside Philadelphia.
“I’m having an out-of-body experience right now,” Mike Jr told the Guardian as he drove his father back to his home to be reunited with Debbie. “I’m floating over the top of the car.”
He said that this was what he had waiting for more than four decades – to be together for the first time with both his parents. “I’ve always hoped for this, but I never knew that it would happen,” he said.
The 1978 siege of the Move 9 house in the Powelton Village neighborhood of Philadelphia was one of the most violent and visceral incidents of the years of black liberation struggle. At the time, 12 adults and 11 children were living in a communal house, along with 48 dogs.
Move was a unique organization that mixed revolutionary ideology better associated with the Black Panther party with care for nature and the environment better associated with flower power and the hippy movement. The group still exists today, largely in the Philadelphia area, and continues to campaign for the release of its remaining members behind bars.
Mike Sr’s release reduces the number of still-incarcerated Move 9 members to five. In addition to his parole and that of his wife, two others have died behind bars from health complications related to their imprisonment – Merle Austin Africa, in March 1998, and Phil Africa in January 2015.
Brad Thomson, of the Chicago-based People’s Law Office, who was part of the legal team presenting the released prisoner, said that Mike Sr’s record in prison was exceptional, making him a prime candidate for parole. “With this decision, the parole board recognizes that Mike, like Debbie, and the rest of the Move 9, poses absolutely no threat to the community.”
The siege that led to the incarceration of five Move men and four women occurred on 8 August 1978. Tension had mounted for months between the commune and Philadelphia police following complaints from neighbors and fears that the group was stockpiling weapons.
The order was given for hundreds of police officers to go in and evict the residents by the notoriously hardline then mayor of Philadelphia, the city’s former police commissioner Frank Rizzo. In the melee, Ramp was killed.
All nine adult members of Move living in the house were held responsible for the shooting and sentenced to 30 to 100 years. At trial they told the jury that they had no working firearms in the house, though that was disputed by prosecutors.
With Mike and Debbie Africa now released, thoughts are turning to the remaining five Move members still in prison. Petitions for habeas corpus have been filed in federal court on behalf of the two women, Janine Phillips Africa and Janet Hollaway Africa, challenging recent parole denials.
Bret Grote, of the Abolitionist Law Center, another lawyer for the Move 9, said: “This historic release of Mike Africa renders the parole board’s decision to deny the rest of the Move 9 all the more incomprehensible. For example, Janet and Janine have both maintained prison records that are as exemplary as Mike’s and essentially identical to that of Debbie, yet they were inexplicably denied parole in May.”
Seven years after the siege of the Move house, a second trauma was dealt to the black radical group. The then mayor of Philadelphia, Wilson Goode, gave the go-ahead for an incendiary bomb to be dropped on top of another Move house.
It caused an inferno that killed 11 people, including five children. More than 60 houses in the predominantly African American neighborhood were razed to the ground.
Read more by Ed Pilkington for The Guardian
“A siege. A bomb. 48 dogs. And the black commune that would not surrender”
Forty years ago, Philadelphia erupted in one of the most dramatic shoot-outs of the black liberation struggle. Ed Pilkington tells the surreal story of the Move 9 – and what happened to them next. Read more.
Pack the Court and Streets for Mumia on Mon., December 3, 2018!
Monday, December 3, 2018 – 8 am,
Court Hearing for Mumia,
Criminal Justice Center,
1301 Filbert Street,
Room 1108,
Philadelphia, PA;
Get directions
In a court case that could eventually lead to Mumia Abu-Jamal’s freedom, Judge Leon Tucker has ordered the District Attorney’s office to present new testimony in reference to Ronald Castille, on August 30, 2018. Castille is a former PA Supreme Court judge who refused to disqualify himself when Mumia’s case came before the court despite having been the Philadelphia District Attorney during Mumia’s prior appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that such conduct is unconstitutional.
A recent update on Mumia Abu Jamal’s case:
Philadelphia DA’s office stonewalls at hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal
May 3, 2018
Sole remaining survivor of MOVE 9 tragedy gravely ill; community seeks funds
By Cherri Gregg
August 22, 2018
Reprinted from WKY News Radio
Supporters have launched a GoFundMe account.
WEST PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The last remaining survivor of the 1985 MOVE tragedy is gravely ill, and her supporters are asking for help.
“Ramona Africa’s health is critical at this point,” Sue Africa told reporters Wednesday, August 22, 2018, as she stood [at a press conference] outside of a home in West Philadelphia. Several members of the MOVE organization stood alongside her, including Michael Africa, Pam Africa, and Consuela Africa, whose two daughters were killed in the bombing.
“The people must come together to fight with us to ensure she comes through this,” said Consuela. She asked the public to help Ramona, who they say has lymphoma [which caused a stroke] and is disabled.
“She cannot walk because she suffered a terrible stroke,” Sue continued, “and now her insurance has run out.”
Sue said Ramona has insurance through UnitedHealthcare, which only pays for 30 days of treatment. Supporters are looking for more insurance, but say there is a lag time for the new insurance to kick in. While they wait, they say Ramona is regressing and she needs help now.
“They say it could take three to six months,” she said. “Mona can’t survive three to six months without therapy.”
Supporters launched a GoFundMe account seven days ago. So far, they have raised more than $14,000 of the $40,000 goal.
“We just need help at this particular time,” said Pam Africa.
The family refused to identify the facility that Ramona is housed in, citing her safety and wellness as a concern. Pam said Ramona took ill two months ago, around the same time Debbie Africa, the first member of the MOVE 9 imprisoned for the death of Philadelphia Police Officer James Ramp, was released.
“We have the best interest of our sister at heart,” Pam added. “We have good doctors working with her, as well as our own herbalists helping her.”
The family says they will be pressuring the insurance company to provide services. In the meantime, Sue said Ramona remains in good spirits.
“Mona is a survivor — it’s in her,” she said. “She will survive this and walk away from this and teach around the world.”
Donate to Ramona at https://www.gofundme.com/helpsaveramonaafrica.
Help Ramona Fight For Her Life
The MOVE Organization is informing our supporters, sympathizers and all those in solidarity with the cause of revolution, that our much beloved Ramona Africa, MOVE’s Minister of Communication, survivor of the May 13, 1985, holocaust, has been hospitalized as a result of health complications coming from a condition called PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). A direct result of the ongoing war waged on our Move Family by this government (we’ve lost 24 members to date). Two died in prison under suspicious circumstances termed “cancer.” Now Ramona is diagnosed with “cancer” and she’s again battling to be a survivor.
Ramona needs funds for a hospital bed, therapy to be able to walk again, skilled nursing full-time care and many other health needs. Please donate to her Go Fund Me page at https://www.gofundme.com/helpsaveramonaafrica. Please share this information widely.
If there’s any questions or concerns people want to address please contact Alberta Africa or Sue Africa at these numbers: (215) 387-4107 or helpramonaafrica@gmail.com.
On The Move Long, Live John Africa!
Our much beloved Ramona Africa
40 Year Commemoration for MOVE 9
Sunday, August 5, 2018
Fairmount Park:
9:30 am: Yoga
10 am: 5K Run, Walk, Bike with MOVE & Philly ABC
Register at phillyabc.wordpress.com/rdtw
Shoemaker Charter School:
3-5 pm: Panel
5-7 pm: Concert
Get flyer.
For more info: mikeafricajr@gmail.com and http://onamove.com/40-years/
Pack the Court and Streets for Mumia Abu Jamal on August 30, 2018
August 30, 2018 – 8 am,
Court Hearing for Mumia,
Criminal Justice Center,
1301 Filbert Street,
Room 1108,
Philadelphia, PA;
Get directions
In a court case that could eventually lead to Mumia Abu-Jamal’s freedom, Judge Leon Tucker has ordered the District Attorney’s office to present new testimony in reference to Ronald Castille, on August 30, 2018. Castille is a former PA Supreme Court judge who refused to disqualify himself when Mumia’s case came before the court despite having been the Philadelphia District Attorney during Mumia’s prior appeals. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that such conduct is unconstitutional.
A recent update on Mumia Abu Jamal’s case:
Philadelphia DA’s office stonewalls at hearing for Mumia Abu-Jamal
May 3, 2018
Debbie Africa Free! Baby-Snatching Practice Blocked Motherhood For 20-million Seconds (40 years)
June 20, 2018
Linn Washington Jr.
Reprinted from ThisCantBeHappening.net
Justice system abuses mothers with no apologies
Debbie’s son Mike said life was “hard” for him growing up without his mother and father, not having their “guidance” at times when he needed it. Mike said that when he went to wake up his mother the morning after her release from prison he saw her feet for the first time in his life.
“Things people take for granted like just talking to your parents — I never had,” Michael said. “Fortunately I had the support of my parent’s family, other MOVE members and MOVE supporters. It helped a lot.
“I can’t wait to see my dad come home.”
The arbitrary and often abusive practices of authorities that drove clashes between MOVE and Philadelphia City authorities were evident in the parole release of Debbie Africa – a parole granted after eight previous parole rejections.
Debbie and fellow MOVE members Janine and Janet each saw the Pennsylvania Parole Board on the same day. Each had similar unblemished prison records, each were credited with positively mentoring other inmates, each were praised for helping keep calm in the prison and each – for the first time ever – had a release recommendation from Philadelphia’s new District Attorney, Larry Krasner.
But the Parole Board rejected Janine and Janet while that Board released Debbie during a process that is completely secret even from lawyers representing inmates.
One reason given by the Parole Board for the rejection of Janine and Janet was they received a negative recommendation from Philly’s DA – a claim that is factually inaccurate according to Brad Thomson, the lawyer who represented Debbie, Janine and Janet during that parole proceeding.
“It is shocking that Janet and Janine were denied parole. Their circumstances and institutional records are nearly identical to Debbie’s,” stated Thomson, who attended the press conference with Debbie and Mike Jr.
“The decision to deny Janet and Janine appears arbitrary and it is difficult to understand how the Parole Board could justify it based on the facts that were presented,” noted Thomson of the People’s Law Office in Chicago.
Then again, arbitrariness and abuse riddled the MOVE 9 trial. The judge who convicted and sentenced the MOVE 9 during a non-jury proceeding said he meted out identical sentences because they “were a family” and that he, therefore, would sentence them as a family – a stance that made a mockery of the so-called maxim of prison time fitting the crime.
Police testimony during that long trial was that only the four MOVE men were armed and the MOVE women, including Debbie Africa, were merely holding children while huddled inside the basement of the then MOVE compound in Philadelphia’s Powelton Village during that 1978 shootout.
(Evidence furthermore indicates that police gunfire accidentally killed the policeman. Police experts could not match the bullet removed from the slain officer to any of the weapons recovered from the MOVE compound.)
The arrest and imprisonment of the MOVE 9 unleashed a chain of events that culminated in the horrific May 13, 1985 incident where Philadelphia police bombed another house occupied by MOVE members and deliberately allowed an inferno sparked by that bomb to burn, preventing firefighters from trying to put it out.
That bomb-triggered blaze incinerated 11 MOVE members including five children. That police blaze also destroyed 61 adjacent homes and left 250 people homeless.
Police snipers drove some MOVE members who tried to flee their burning building back into the inferno where temperatures reached 2,000-degrees. Only one MOVE adult and one child escaped that deadly firestorm.
One of the MOVE members murdered by police action during that 1985 clash was MOVE founder John Africa. The five youth deaths included the children of Janine and Janet, Debbie’s now former cellmates. No Philadelphia police officer or City official faced prosecution for that incident where an FBI agent supplied the main component for that bomb — military C-4 hi-explosive — that Philadelphia police dropped from a Pa State Police helicopter.
Debbie Africa said she is looking forward to strengthening bonds with her children and grandchildren. She will adjust to life outside prison like learning how to use a cell phone, a now ubiquitous device that didn’t exist at the time of her arrest in 1978. And she said she would work for the release of her imprisoned MOVE family members.