Tweet
May 13, 1985
Warning Video is very disturbing & not for the faint of heart
It’s the week of the 29th anniversary of the MOVE bombings, and for those who were in the middle of it and are still with us, the memories of those tragic events still linger all these years later. As the haunting story unfolds in Jason Osder‘s Let the Fire Burn, which premieres tonight onIndependent Lens on PBS (check local listings), you may be curious as to what became of some of the people involved.[Much of the information cited here and linked is thanks to the Philadelphia Inquirer's 25th anniversary coverage.]
The saddest news of all is the very recent, sudden death of Michael Ward, aka Birdie Africa, who was the only child to survive the MOVE bombing. His mother Rhonda Africa was killed in the tragic event. Ward, only 41 at the time of his death, was on a cruise in the Caribbean with his family. Ward had fought through the pain of the awful events from his childhood to restart his life; from the New York Times obituary:
Meanwhile, she travels around the world – she’s been to Cuba, South Africa, and several European countries – spreading the message of John Africa. And as for MOVE itself, a currentwebsite shows the group to be still active.
Here’s Ramona Africa a few years ago talking to Philadelphia TV current affairs host Art Fennell, giving her perspective on what happened in that city in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
The saddest news of all is the very recent, sudden death of Michael Ward, aka Birdie Africa, who was the only child to survive the MOVE bombing. His mother Rhonda Africa was killed in the tragic event. Ward, only 41 at the time of his death, was on a cruise in the Caribbean with his family. Ward had fought through the pain of the awful events from his childhood to restart his life; from the New York Times obituary:
Yet after years of rehabilitation from injuries physical and psychological, he graduated from high school, served in the Army, became a father and made a career as a long-haul trucker and a barber.
Ramona Africa, the one adult survivor of the MOVE fire (and whom has an interesting quote of condolences in that article about Ward linked above), served seven years in prison on riot charges stemming from the 1985 confrontation. She later sued the city and pocketed part of a $1.5 million civil-rights judgment. She still lives in Philadelphia, and still upholds MOVE’s beliefs and causes. She said the group’s priority is still the “unrelenting fight for our brothers and sisters who’ve been in prison since 1978.” Meanwhile, she travels around the world – she’s been to Cuba, South Africa, and several European countries – spreading the message of John Africa. And as for MOVE itself, a currentwebsite shows the group to be still active.
Here’s Ramona Africa a few years ago talking to Philadelphia TV current affairs host Art Fennell, giving her perspective on what happened in that city in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
Warning Video is very disturbing & not for the faint of heart
Comment