The Move Youth Speak on the Move 9

On The MOVE.

Long Live JOHN AFRICA.

I love and miss my grandmother and I am working to help get her out of prison because I want to be able to see her whenever I want to see her and not have to see her when the system say I can.  I want to see her when I say I can.  I don’t want to go through a metal detector or take a long drive to see her.  I want her to be able to come to my house and see me, my brothers and sisters run in our backyard and go to the park.  But we can’t because this system is scared of how strong she is.  They’re scared she will make other people want to be strong like her and follow her example and start doing what’s right.  She’s working to stop this system from polluting the air, the water, and all the animals that live in the water, on the earth and fly in the sky.  She’s still stopping the system because she did not give up and I am following her example to keep fighting.  She’s still fighting just like she was on the platform using the bullhorn, putting out strong MOVE Law, exposing wrong.  After 36 years, Debbie is still fighting for all life.  Just because they put her in prison don’t mean she’ll give up, it means she’ll fight even harder.  

My name is Alex Africa and my grandmother is Debbie Africa.

Free The MOVE 9

On The MOVE

LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA

We Love You Merle, You Will Live Forever

This is an article dedicated to Merle Africa written by the Move family in 1998

Today Marks 16 years since Merle Africa died under mysterious circumstances in The State Correctional Institution in Cambridge Springs PA. Let's celebrate the life of Merle by picking up the work to fight this rotten ass system.

Merle Africa a revolutionary solider who was killed by this murderous ass reform world system. On March 13th 1998, Merle Africa was forced to die at the hands of this government, punished for a crime she didn't commit, the accusation of murder of a cop on Aug, 8th 1978, yet this system literally kills people everyday and gets away with it. On May 13th 1985, this system's politicians, headed by Wilson Goode murdered 11 of our innocent family members, 5 of them children and ain't a one of them murderous cantankerous misfits were even charged with 11 counts of murder let alone punished for it. Merle, as all innocent Move people, knows the love of life and the protection that comes with it.

New piece by Mumia for the Move 9 Chronicles

Anti-Move Propoganda 2.0 (3:16) by Mumia Abu-Jamal

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Eddie Africa

My brother, Eddie Africa, is a strong MOVE member that follows the teaching of JOHN AFRICA. Not only does he always talk to and encourage me to be strong but he also sets a strong example for me to follow.  Whenever I see Eddie or talk to him on the phone, he is never sad or unhappy, even after being imprisoned for 36 years for something he didn’t do, and if he’s asked, he will tell you it’s because he understands it is not just him and his family that have been wronged by this rotten system, it is all life-women, babies, and animals in zoos & lab cages.  Eddie tells us that JOHN AFRICA teaches that all life is a victim of this system and that’s why it’s so important to stop it!

LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA FOREVER!  Eddie is always telling us that JOHN AFRICA taught him that real happiness, real freedom doesn’t come from this reform system, it comes from our belief in life, what’s real.  That’s a good example for me to follow in a brother, and that is why this system is so threatened by the MOVE 9.  This is one of the reasons why they don’t want to let our brothers and sisters out of jail, because they will be an even stronger influence on us than they are now! LONG LIVE JOHN AFRICA FOREVER!

ONA MOVE

Raymond Africa

The Move 9 and their Impact on Me

Ona Move

I was asked recently to contribute a piece on the Move 9 for the chronicles and the impact they have had on my life. It's hard for me to talk about my brothers and sisters on a personal level and then share it on a public level. It's touchy for me but this is for their freedom so here it goes. For 36 years now, my brothers and sisters have set a strong revolutionary example in Pennsylvania prisons. They have been unjustly imprisoned all these years, and have not a one of them ever turned traitor to their belief in the teachings of JOHN AFRICA. Now that is impressive.

Despite all of their legal appeals being exhausted, despite some of them having their babies murdered by this system on May 13th 1985, despite periods of solitary - none of them have been broken. They are in the prisons teaching about JOHN AFRICA'S  REVOLUTION. They are helping inmates to get off drugs, they are helping mothers and fathers establish relationships with their children on the outside. It's impressive when you visit, cause I know that there will be times when I go up to visit them I might be depressed or going through things and they will be spending time on a visit helping me pull myself together and motivating me.

Young Supporter from VA on the Move 9

It’s hard to express the individual beauties and personality of those who comprise a group. Though they are unified in belief and struggle, each one of them: Eddie, Janine, Janet, Mike, Chuck, Delbert, Phil, Debbie, and Merle have distinct personalities, interests, and endearing traits. Phil has the personality of an inspirational speaker; high energy, bright smile, quick speech, and resilience. He is a beautiful painter and his letters are always filled with sage advice. Delbert is calm and considered, but can be firm and direct at a moment’s notice. He has a subtle sense of humor and a great laugh. Eddie can light up a room just by entering. He has the presence and strut of a Motown singer, the concern of the best minister, and an incredible humility. Debbie has a bright smile, a great laugh, and a wise, confident vibe. Seeing her give her grandchildren piggyback rides in the prison visiting room was both heart breaking and beautiful. Mike has a calm, reserved manner, and seems to be taking in everything around him. He is deliberate with his speech and considerate. Janet has the energy of a gymnast and is passionate in conversing about so many things. She is the type of person you feel you can talk to about anything. Janine is kind, funny, and serious all at the same time. She listens patiently and is so thoughtful in her advice. Chuck is witty, sharp, and fiery. Chuck intimidated the hell out of me the first time I met him. Coming from a white, suburban background I mistook his passion and protectiveness for something else. Chuck loves to debate about history, music, pretty much anything. I have great regrets that I never had the chance to meet Merle. I've heard she was amazing. The fact that she died in prison serving an unjust sentence is a tragedy. One way to try to rectify the injustice of Merle dying in prison is to work for the release of her brothers and sisters. It's heartbreaking to think about how long this injustice has persisted. Their fate rests firmly on the decisions of the Pennsylvania parole board.

Please join in to add to the pressure to release the MOVE 9. These are truly amazing, kind-hearted people that deserve to be free!

My First Visit with Chuck Africa

We knew going into this that Chuck would be energetic and fun, but we were way more impressed than imaginable! When we walked through the gate and into the room, Chuck was there to greet us, and we wasted no time getting to know each other. Right off the start, Chuck floods the room with his excitement and aspiration. In no time at all, you'll find yourself sharing stories and laughing.

His brothers explain that back in the day, he was one of the best boxers (if not the best) in the state. There used to be more athletic programs in the PA DOC, boxing being a popular one, but the vast majority of all kinds of programing have been cut seemingly to save money. One of Chuck's signature boxing characteristics was that he would simply not stop punching. It was his persistence, stamina and energy that often led him to prevail in a match. Chuck maintained his boxing skills in prison until the program shut down, but Chuck is still a fighter. All of the MOVE men would participate in boxing, as it was also something they did prior to going to prison. It was a good way for them to stay healthy and see each other at occasional competitions. “Phil always had nice straight punches,” and “Delbert was the master of knock out hits,” Chuck recalls. Boxing, requires discipline, both physically and mentally, and sometimes simple patience. He loves it!

Getting To Know Mike Africa Sr

Mike Sr. and Mike Jr.

Mike is an incredibly sharp individual. His intellectual capacity is downright impressive! He plays guitar and pursues higher education.  Mike works in the kitchen at Graterford, where he has access to a raw vegetables and maintains a vegan diet. His Move brothers explain that he was a great boxer, but always the best runner. They also compliment his academics.  Chuck laughs as he reminisces about Mike diligently washing the salt off of his peanuts before eating them, preferring them in their more natural state.

When I first entered the visiting room, I had not seen a picture of Mike since 1978. However, the heart-warming, genuine smile that beamed in my direction brought me straight to him! Of course I asked just to make sure, but I knew it was him. The room was packed and noisy, and made it hard to hear each other. By no means did this stop us from engaging.

Mike has been paying attention to anti-GMO organizing and the war on Monsanto. We discussed GMOs and the corporate sales pitch of labeling items “organic.” It's hard to understand the consumer's logic in trusting a corporate note that the product is certified organic. When explaining that organic means no additives, it was made clear that even without intentional additives, the essentials are toxified in consistency from additives generated by airplanes, cellular radiation, chemical spillages, and day-to-day human-generated garbage that poison the air, water and soil almost everywhere. Everything that grows on it, grows with these additives. Nothing anymore can be truly natural, as the “certified organic” label is supposed to indicate. It's essentially just another sales pitch.

International Support For The Move 9

MY FIRST VISIT to the MOVE SISTERS
 
I first visited the MOVE sisters years ago, in 1995, the year of Mumia's PCRA... and his unexpected first stay of execution, a victory of the people against judge Sabo's dreadful rule and weeks of intense emotion and international solidarity in Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

I had read about the sisters in the local Philadelphia press and learnt how their babies had been killed by the Philadelphia police, how Mike junior was born in jail after the MOVE house was attacked by the police on August 8, 1978, how Delbert Africa had almost been beaten to death by the cops, how the members of the family who had survived police brutality were bombed on May 13, 1985.

I had read a lot, but the day I met the sisters was a turning point in my life and my commitment to the family. I visited them with Pam and Mona and the family which meant a full night drive in the truck, a quick breakfast at the local coffee-shop in Cambridge Springs and briefly getting into clean clothes; then it was the final drive to the State Correction Institution for women, as they say in America (we just say 'prison' here) which is a former College, a shock for a French visitor - we still abide by Victor Hugo's saying, : 'Build a school and you will close a prison'.

More and More People Moved by the Move 9

Hi, my name is Gary & I have been writing & visiting the MOVE 9 since 1980. I was drawn to the MOVE 9 for the opposite reason that the system was perpetuating. Through the 70's, those living in the Philly area were bombarded, often daily from the media, that MOVE was: wild, crazy, & violent radicals. Blatently, the system's goal was to discourage people from getting interested in MOVE & to be able to eradicate MOVE without public outcry. I came from a boring, white middle class upbringing, & the MOVE 9's trial intrigued me for excitement, to see this "wild" courtroom behavior by MOVE. 

When I went, they were nothing as portrayed & I left disappointed. Several months later, I thought I would try again, & this time, there were a group of supporters to join in with, & that's just what I did - forever. I still remember the thrill of being told I could visit the MOVE 9 in prison! To this day, the MOVE 9 are still thrilling me with each visit & letter received from them. The most remarkable thing about a prison visit, is that when leaving, us visitors remark that the MOVE 9 were so light, positive, & most of all - FREE! Before knowing the MOVE 9, my life was empty with drugs, alcohol, & whatever the System has to offer, so I have to give all thanks to the MOVE 9!

People From All Over Influenced by the Move 9

Hard-earned wisdom and hard-won strength: the MOVE 9

We're comparing notes on our gardens. Janet Africa tilled her soil with a plastic snow shovel. I envision trying to grow with a kid's sand kit for the beach. My husband and I had the entire arsenal of his tools from a small landscaping business when we planted this spring: plows, pick axes, rakes. And even still, I'd get tired and claim I had to go inside and return an email.

Janet is tiny and giggly. Despite her sweetness, her warm brown eyes, her engaging way, there is a ferocity. These aren't incompatible traits. They stand alongside one another. She's strong and tested. She knows what she's capable of. Growing food, tending soil and plant life with shoddy tools is a small hiccup.

And that's the way with the MOVE 9. Publicly, they're known as a family who didn't back down against the brutality and aggression of the city of Philadelphia. After withstanding an urban battle, largely unprecedented in the 20^th century, they went on to receive sentences of 30-100 years each for the death of one police officer. The evidence presented at trial was flimsy and since that time the city of Philadelphia claims to have lost the majority of this evidence. In 1985, members of the MOVE 9 learned from prison guards that some of their children and partners had been killed when a bomb was dropped on the MOVE Organization.

They were on hunger strikes for over forty days the same year that protest killed Bobby Sands. They counseled other inmates, and even guards, to fortify them against the cruelty and isolation of prison. They saw some of their children raised by estranged family members.

Move Supporters on the Move 9

It has been said in the past many times that people who support MOVE and Mumia are misled or naïve. I have been accused of possessing a laundry list of flaws from anti-American to psychologically feeble to sociopathic. People who spend their time looking at MOVE supporters and judging them will never accept that there is anything wrong with the way they look at MOVE or anyone who is not engaged in their way of life and thinking.

What makes a person who and what they are? When do you become responsible?

So many experiences brought me to the point where I could wrap my head around what John Africa teaches that there is no brief explanation. I just want people to know that I take full responsibility. With full possession of my faculties I have made my choice to believe in MOVE law and MOVE’s version and Mumia’s version of events. I have done my research and now I have no agenda other than to support their freedom.

During the Olympics the news was happy to place the focus on Russia’s human rights abuses. Here in the U.S.A human rights oppression is part of everyday life. This is a colonial power that knowingly and pathologically committed the genocide of millions of Native Indigenous people at the same time as using SLAVES to cement their empire and political control. The European colonies imported people who would be happy to live in conditions better than what they had before and even gave them land and incentives to stay and raise families. The governments in control of colonial interests paid military professionals and pioneers to evict the Native Americans from their homes and quickly replaced them with immigrants to make sure land was never left vacant for their return.

Welcome to the Move 9 Chronicles

Ona Move Everybody!

Welcome and thank you for joining us for day one of The Move 9 Chronicles.

What we intend to do with The Move 9 Chronicles is to introduce people to the Move 9 on a more personal level. Most people may know about The Move 9 or know their names but we really wanna show people who they are and why they mean so much to us and why we are working so hard to bring them home.

For the next 31 days, we will have daily posts by people who have visited the Move 9, who have written the Move 9 and whose lives have been influenced by the strong revolutionary example of the Move 9. We can use the good feeling from this blog to keep the pressure on the PA Parole
Board when we call on Mondays to demand the rightful release of the Move 9.

People can reach the PA Parole Board at (717) 772-4343.

Call and demand The Release of The Move 9. Fasten your seat belts and enjoy the next 31 days of The Move 9 Chronicles.