Reclaim Osage

It’s been 40 years since MOVE members were heinously murdered by the City of Philadelphia and our West Philadelphia home was seized through eminent domain. Reclaim Osage is a campaign to recover our home fully and to dedicate the site to the memorialization of the victims of the Bombing of MOVE.

6221 Osage Ave is the two-story row house that was occupied by MOVE members on May 13th, 1985 when the Philadelphia Police Department dropped a bomb on the house, destroying more than 60 homes. In the aftermath, six adults and five children of MOVE were murdered, and 250 people were left homeless.  

Louise James Africa was the sister of MOVE founder, John Africa, and the owner of 6221 Osage. Louise was a civil rights advocate before joining MOVE and serving as a Minister of Information and Communication and MOVE’s unofficial archivist. For decades, Louise was a columnist for The Philadelphia Tribune, America’s oldest Black newspaper, and she wrote prolifically for publications around the country about systemic racism, police violence, and government corruption.

 

After murdering Louise’s son Frank Africa in the bombing, the city seized her house in 1986 through eminent domain and turned it into a police substation. In 2017, the city sold the house to a developer for $1, who then sold it to a private owner for nearly $300k. Due to constant invasions of privacy by tourists trying to view the bombed site, the owners decided to sell the property for nearly $400k. Louise James’ dying wish was to have her house returned to her family where it belonged. In January 2023, Mike Africa Jr., her great nephew, fulfilled this wish by purchasing 6221 Osage Avenue.  

Reclaiming Louise’s home is not just about MOVE. Reclaim Osage is about remembering everyone in our community whose life was changed on May 13th, 1985, and transforming the course of its impact for generations to come. Reclaim Osage seeks to create a space for future generations to learn what happened so that we can work to heal and build a stronger community.

Mike Africa, Jr. is the great-nephew of MOVE founder John Africa and Louise James Africa, who owned the MOVE house that was bombed by police in 1985.
Every year, we honor the 11 lives lost in the Osage Massacre—the men, women, and children who were bombed, burned, and buried in unmarked graves. With Reclaim Osage, we refuse to let their memory fade.

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