#114 Mike Africa, Jr.: Prison, Parenthood, and the Legacy of a Revolution

Once you hear the story of the Black civil liberties group MOVE, it’s almost impossible to believe you had never learned about it before. Dubbed by some as a cult and by others as revolutionaries in the mold of The Black Panther Party, MOVE members railed against racial injustice and inequality in Philadelphia during the 1970s and early 80s, frequently clashing with police. A number of MOVE’s members were either jailed or killed as a result, leaving its younger generation to make sense of the legacy of MOVE and how the group’s actions shaped their lives.

On this episode of Paternal, MOVE member Mike Africa, Jr. discusses his parents’ imprisonment for the murder of a police officer, and how he made peace with the knowledge that he was born in a Philadelphia jail cell. He also discusses meeting his father for the first time in prison, the experience of watching his father walk free after 40 years inside, and the challenges of raising his own kids in the shadow of MOVE.

Africa is the author of the memoir On A Move, Philadelphia’s Notorious Bombing And A Native Son’s Lifelong Battle For Justice, which is available now wherever you buy books.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - 08:51 - Introduction and history of MOVE
08:51 - 12:30 - A marriage and a prison sentence
12:30 - 14:26 - Born in a jail cell
14:26 - 18:57 - Life without a mother and father
18:57 - 22:38 - A first meeting between father and son
22:38 - 24:40 - A father’s impact
24:40 - 29:23 - Fatherhood and the legacy of MOVE
29:23 - 32:28 - A father and son reunited 
32:28 - Outro