The discovery of additional human remains from the 1985 MOVE bombing at the University of Pennsylvania has reignited conversations around accountability and respect for victims. The remains are believed to belong to 12-year-old Delisha Africa, one of five children and six adults killed when authorities bombed the Black liberation group's headquarters, sparking a fire that destroyed over 60 row homes in Philadelphia. The bombing, a rare and devastating act by U.S. authorities against its citizens, resulted in lawsuits but no criminal charges.
The remains were uncovered during an inventory by the Penn Museum as it prepared to move artifacts into upgraded storage. The museum acknowledged the discovery, stating, "We are committed to full transparency with respect to any new evidence that may emerge."
This revelation follows prior controversies, including the university retaining bones from at least one bombing victim after assisting with forensic identifications in 1985. The museum said it immediately notified the child's family upon finding the remains and reaffirmed its dedication to ethical practices, emphasizing "human dignity and the wishes of descendant communities."
On May 13, 1985, police used a helicopter to drop a bomb on the MOVE headquarters, leading to widespread destruction. Despite a 1986 commission condemning the bombing as "unconscionable," survivors only received a $1.5 million judgment in 1996.
Lawyers Bakari Sellers and Daniel Hartstein, representing a man whose sister died in the bombing, criticized the handling of the remains. "For nearly 40 years, the City of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Penn Museum have refused to treat the MOVE Bombing victims or their families with the most basic level of respect and decency," they said. "We are disgusted and disappointed but, unfortunately, we are not surprised."
The MOVE bombing remains a painful chapter in U.S. history, highlighting systemic issues of racial injustice and institutional failures in addressing them.
Link: AP News