May 13, 2025, marked the 40-year anniversary since the MOVE bombing, in which a State Police helicopter dropped a bomb in Cobbs Creek, killing six adults, five children, and destroying several homes, writes Natalia Sanchez Loayza for Billy Penn at WHYY.
Since then, residents and neighbors have been brewing up ways to honor the lives lost and impacted during the dark day in Philadelphia history.
In 2015, a group of middle school students at Jubilee School in West Philadelphia spearheaded an effort to have a historical marker placed near the site of the MOVE bombing.
The school was founded by history teacher Karen Falcon in 1977.
“My mission really was to have students continue to love learning, and to build on their ideas, to respect their ideas, and have them know that their voices are powerful,” Falcon said.
That mission is what helped lead to the MOVE bombing’s historical marker.
While learning about the history of police brutality and gun violence, as well as youth-led movement, the students came across the MOVE bombing.
Concerned about how these issues continue to be as prevalent as ever, they became determined to do something.
After going through a two-year process, the historical marker was unveiled near the site, memorializing it.
Read more about the students’ effort to honor the MOVE bombing victims at Billy Penn at WHYY.
_____
