‘It is criminal’: Africa family wants MOVE bombing victims’ remains returned and Osage Avenue home back

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Members of the Africa family — part of the Black liberation group MOVE — came to Philadelphia City Hall Monday morning, renewing calls for their family remains to be returned, along with their ancestral home.

Last month, the Penn Museum announced that an ongoing inventory uncovered more unaccounted remains believed to be those of 12-year-old Delisha Africa. Mike Africa Jr., who has taken over leadership of the group, accused the museum of continuing to hold the remains of other MOVE bombing victims.

“I’ve learned, with my team, that the Penn Museum is not only responsible for stealing the remains of Katrina and Delisha,” he said. “We know that they’re not being honest and forthright because our documentation indicates that there is a third set of remains.”

On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped a military-grade bomb on the home of the MOVE Organization at 6221 Osage Ave. Authorities let the fire burn, leaving 11 people, including five children, dead. The 1985 bombing also destroyed 61 homes across two blocks of a predominantly Black neighborhood.

Those killed were Tomaso “Boo” Levino, Delisha Orr, Zanetta Dotson, Phil Phillips, Katricia “Tree” Dotson, Theresa Brooks, Frank James, John Africa, Raymond Foster, James Conrad Hampton and Rhonda Ward.

Mike Africa believes the additional remains are of Katrina Dotson, Africa’s sister.

“Potentially her remains have been studied and processed to where they were potentially ground down to dust,” he said.

The human remains recovered from the Osage Avenue home had initially been turned over to the Penn Museum for analysis as part of an investigation. An anthropologist with ties to the museum used some of those remains as instructional material for an online forensics course, WHYY’s Billy Penn reported in 2021.This revelation, and the descretation of the MOVE bombing victims’ remains by the city Medical Examiner’s Office, led to widespread demonstrations.

Africa said he thought it was wrong that the family has been unable to have closure after nearly 40 years because the remains were being studied.

“This type of discrimination and defamation is why these things are allowed to happen and people get away with impunity. I mean, it is criminal,” he said.

In addition to the return of all bombing victim remains, the MOVE Organization seeks possession of 6221 Osage Ave. to create a memorial.

Africa said the city of Philadelphia should also teach about the incident in schools to show students what happened on that May day in 1985.

In a statement to WHYY News, Penn Museum officials say “Penn Museum’s Director has been in direct contact with the Africa mothers since the information about the additional MOVE remains was shared with them on November 12. We are waiting to learn more about their wishes.”

Multiple WHYY News reporters contributed reporting.