John Africa
| John Africa | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Vincent Leaphart July 26, 1931 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 13, 1985 (aged 53) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Known for | founder of MOVE |
John Africa (July 26, 1931 – May 13, 1985), born Vincent Leaphart, was the founder of MOVE, a Philadelphia-based, self-proclaimed predominately black organization active from the early 1950s and still active. He was fatally shot during an armed standoff with the Philadelphia Police Department.
He 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. At age nine he had been classified as "orthogenetically backward," now described as having an educable intellectual disability. When first tested, his IQ was measured at 84; his score fell to 79 when he was tested at age 15. Transferred to a special school where slow-learners could be taught simple trades, Leaphart compiled a spotty attendance record. Twice, at ages 11 and 13, his teacher rated his overall performance as unsatisfactory, though he always did fine in civics. His scholastic ability had reached the third-grade level when, at age 16, he dropped out. At 17, he was arrested for an armed holdup and for stealing a car (court records no longer list the case's outcome).
Leaphart served in the Korean War. From this period he derived an early hatred of the "American class system" and its ties to race. He adopted the name "John Africa" because of his ethnic origin as an African American, and because he believed Africa to be the place where life originated.
Africa later met Donald Glassey, a social worker from the University of Pennsylvania. Africa began to dictate notes for Glassey to write down for him. Glassey's notes would eventually become a document called The Guideline.
Glassey, after being found in possession of weapons, was later arrested. He implicated Africa and other MOVE members in various crimes. On July 23, 1981, in the Philadelphia federal court, Africa and his co-defendant Alfonso Africa (representing themselves) were tried and acquitted on weapons and conspiracy charges by a jury that deliberated for almost six days.
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