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  • Radical SpiritualityA Conversation with Ramona Africa from MOVE
  • Jack Taylor and Morgan Shipley

Ramona Africa remains an active and vocal member of MOVE, a family of strong, serious, and deeply committed revolutionaries that was created and organized by John Africa in 1972. A predominantly African American interracial coalition of activists makes up MOVE's constituents. As this interview demonstrates, MOVE was concerned not only with the black liberation struggle but also with animal and environmental rights, economic justice, and police brutality. MOVE centers their political and spiritual philosophy on "Life"—the force behind all living and sentient beings. In 1985, concerned with MOVE's revolutionary activities, police bombed the communal house MOVE shared. One of the two survivors of the shooting and bombing, Ramona Africa, continues to advance the causes of the MOVE organization while also seeking freedom for the MOVE 9, members of MOVE imprisoned since 8 August 1978. In this interview, Morgan Shipley, Jack Taylor, and Ramona Africa discuss, among other things, the importance of life for MOVE's political philosophy, the organization's relationship with the broad counterculture of the 1960s (topics range from the Black Panther Party to the hippies), and their concern for animal and environmental justice. To quote from her essay "Long Live John Africa!": "You can only be a revolutionary if you understand and believe in the principle of freedom, not in categories but the totality of the principle of freedom . . . [End Page 183] Man's system is built on all these things—crime, disease, pollution, exploitation, enslavement, brutality and torture, etc. As long as this system exists, all of these problems will continue to exist because they ARE the system. This is why there is such an urgent need for revolution."1 Given MOVE's historical yet often overlooked significance, it is important that we have one of its longest-standing members give voice to its political philosophy.

Jack Taylor (JT):

Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. We have a few questions we would like to ask you. I think we will try to keep it pretty informal, where Morgan will ask some questions and I will ask some questions and hopefully just have a chat.

Ramona Africa (RA):

OK.

JT:

We would like to know about the basis of MOVE. For example, what are the philosophical underpinnings of MOVE? Why is the idea of "Life" so vital for MOVE's philosophy?

RA:

The MOVE organization was formed by a black man called John Africa. It brought people together from all races, economic and social backgrounds, and various religions. They had one common belief and that belief is in Life—Life not in an abstract sense but in a very real sense: as real as the breath you're breathing this instance, the water that you must have to drink, the earth that gave us life. Keep in mind we don't control those things. There is a force that controls those things, just like there is a force that controls the heartbeat in your chest and the blood pumping through your body—the force that controls you when you lay down to sleep and when you wake up. We don't control any of that. There is a force that does—the force of Life, our Mother, our Momma, Mother Nature, and that is what John Africa, the MOVE founder, taught MOVE people: to respect and revere, and defend Mother Nature. And when I say defend, I mean MOVE people don't stand by quietly while industry poisons the air, the water, and the soil. We stand up for animal life and human life. We speak out and take stands against those things. That is what makes MOVE's beliefs so important [End Page 184] because it is not only something that we understand that we can't live without, but it is also vital for those who want to poison Life. They can't live without Life either, but they are too confused to realize that. So ultimately this is what makes MOVE's beliefs so important because this is something that no living being can exist without. If you are having an asthma...

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