John Africa

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John Africa (July 26, 1931 – May 13, 1985), born Vincent Leaphart, was a charismatic leader and a founder of MOVE, a communal and political organization prominent in the United States in the early 1970s. Africa died along with six other adults and four children when the Philadelphia Police Department dropped an explosive device on the MOVE headquarters during a law enforcement action. The explosion started an uncontrolled fire. As a result, 53 houses burned and 240 people were left homeless.^[1]

1 Early life
2 MOVE
3 Influence on others
4 References
5 See also

[edit] Early life

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Africa was born Vincent Leaphart on July 26, 1931 in the Mantua neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Leaphart's mother died when he was young, and he blamed the hospital where she was being treated for her death. Leaphart served in the Korean War, from which he derived an early hatred of the American class system and what he perceived as its ties to race. He adopted the name "John Africa" because of his ethnic origin as an African-American, and because he regarded the continent of Africa as the origin of life itself. Africa later met Donald Glassey, a social worker from the University of Pennsylvania, with whom Africa began to collaborate. Africa was functionally illiterate, so Glassey wrote down Africa's ideas. Glassey's notes would eventually become a document called The Guideline.^[2]

[edit] MOVE

Main article: MOVE

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[edit] Influence on others

Mumia Abu-Jamal follows the teachings of John Africa,^[3] and is a supporter of the MOVE organization.^[4] During Abu-Jamal's 1982 murder trial, Abu-Jamal made repeated requests to be represented by Africa, which were denied by the presiding judge since Africa was not an attorney.^[5]