This article originally appeared in The Nation. For the full piece, go to the Nation’s webpage: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/move-bombing-anniversary-philadelphia-mike-africa-jr/. Below is a short clip from the full piece.

Mike Africa Jr. sat in his office in West Philadelphia, his hands resting on the table, his gaze steady and straight ahead. “I saw smoke, and a friend of mine said, ‘They dropped a bomb on MOVE.’ And I just immediately dismissed him. Like, ‘No they didn’t’.”

Forty years ago today, Philadelphia became known as the city that bombed itself.

The bombing, which has come to be seen as one of the darkest days in the city’s history, began as a tense standoff between city officials and a back-to-earth Black liberation organization called MOVE over neighborhood noise complaints. It ended with the brutal deaths of 11 MOVE members, five of whom were children.

“It was a dark day because of what happened,” he added. “But it was a bright day. It was a sunny day.”