From Thiaroye to MOVE: The Global Fear of Black Liberation

What does it say about the world that massacres those who fight for its freedom? From the slaughter of African soldiers in Thiaroye, Senegal, in 1944 to the bombing of the MOVE organization in Philadelphia in 1985, the message is clear: Black liberation terrifies those who profit from our oppression.
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These stories—separated by decades and continents—reveal a global pattern. When Black people demand dignity or autonomy, the response is swift, brutal, and devastating. Whether through bullets, bombs, or systemic erasure, oppressive systems work overtime to ensure Black communities “know their place.” But they also reveal something else: resistance is woven into the fabric of Black existence. From Thiaroye to MOVE, Black people have shown that our fight for liberation is relentless—and necessary.

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Thiaroye: Soldiers Betrayed, Histories Erased

On December 1, 1944, African soldiers—known as the Tirailleurs Sénégalais—returned to Senegal after fighting for France in World War II. They had risked their lives to liberate Europe, only to face indignity and betrayal. Instead of receiving the wages and pensions they were promised, they were met with contempt. When they peacefully protested this injustice, French troops opened fire, killing at least 35 men, though many estimate the death toll to be closer to 300.

This massacre wasn’t about unpaid wages. It was a deliberate act of colonial dominance. France wanted to send a message to its African colonies: Your sacrifices mean nothing. Your lives mean nothing. Stay in your place.
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The tragedy of Thiaroye was buried in colonial archives for decades, a deliberate erasure meant to silence this moment of resistance. As historian Mamadou Diouf explains, “Thiaroye was more than a massacre. It was an attempt to reassert the racial hierarchies of empire.”

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MOVE: Black Autonomy as a Threat

Forty years later, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the same fear of Black liberation led to another massacre. The MOVE organization was more than just a group—it was a community rooted in African traditions, sustainability, and anti-capitalism. MOVE rejected the values of a system built on exploitation, choosing instead to live in harmony with nature and one another.

For this, they were deemed a threat. On May 13, 1985, Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on MOVE’s home, killing 11 people, including five children, and destroying 61 homes in a predominantly Black neighborhood. Survivors, like Ramona Africa, were shot at as they fled the flames. “They dropped that bomb on us because we were Black people who stood up for what we believed in,” she later said.
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MOVE’s destruction wasn’t just about one house. It was a warning. Like Thiaroye, it was meant to crush the idea of Black autonomy and remind us of the price of resistance.

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The Global Pattern of Anti-Blackness

Thiaroye and MOVE are part of the same global story. Across continents and decades, anti-Blackness manifests as a deliberate strategy to suppress resistance. The tools may change—guns in Senegal, bombs in Philadelphia—but the purpose remains the same: maintain control through violence and erasure.

Both events reveal a shared strategy:

• Demonization of Black Resistance: The soldiers of Thiaroye were labeled mutineers. MOVE was painted as a radical cult. These narratives justified violence while shifting blame onto the victims.
• Erasure of History: Thiaroye was hidden in colonial archives for decades. MOVE’s bombing remains absent from many American history textbooks. By erasing these stories, the systems that created them remain unchallenged.

​The numbers make the scale of this oppression undeniable. During World War II, African soldiers received less than half the pensions of their white counterparts (Al Jazeera). In the United States, 56 Black veterans were lynched between 1919 and 1946 simply for wearing their uniforms (Equal Justice Initiative). And in Philadelphia, the MOVE bombing left 250 people homeless, yet no officials were held accountable (PBS).

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The Revolutionary Power of Self-Care

The violence against Thiaroye and MOVE wasn’t just physical—it was psychological. It was about keeping Black people tired, isolated, and disconnected from our history and each other. That’s why self-care is not a luxury—it’s a revolutionary act.
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As Audre Lorde wrote, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” True self-care isn’t about indulgence. It’s about survival, healing, and reclaiming the time and energy that these systems try to steal from us.

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What Revolutionary Self-Care Looks Like

Revolutionary self-care begins with reclaiming what this world tries to take from us: our history, our community, and our joy.

Reclaim Your History: Start with the stories they don’t want us to know. Talk to your children about Thiaroye and MOVE. Share these truths with your community. As Toni Morrison said, “The function of freedom is to free someone else.”

Build Your Community: Oppression thrives on isolation. Find your tribe—the people who see you, uplift you, and fight alongside you. bell hooks reminded us that “Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation.”

Protect Your Rest and Joy: Rest is resistance. This system profits from our exhaustion. Choosing to rest and find joy is a radical act of defiance—and a necessary one.
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Honor Your Roots: Reconnect with the practices that kept our ancestors strong, from herbal remedies to ancestral veneration. These acts remind us of the power we carry.

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Why This Matters Today

The stories of Thiaroye and MOVE show us the lengths to which systems of power will go to suppress Black resistance. But they also remind us of our resilience. From the Haitian Revolution, where enslaved Africans used their spiritual knowledge to defeat colonial powers, to MOVE’s vision of communal living, Black people have always resisted.
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This is why rhetoric like “Make America Great Again” is so dangerous. It isn’t just nostalgic—it’s a longing for a time when Black people were enslaved, excluded, and erased. But history shows us something else: we have never stopped fighting.

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A Call to Action

We can’t change the past, but we can honor it. By remembering Thiaroye, MOVE, and countless other stories of Black resistance, we reclaim the narratives they tried to steal. By caring for ourselves and our communities, we prepare for the fight ahead.
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The system wants us to believe we are powerless. But as our ancestors have shown us, resistance is in our blood.

If this article moved you, taught you something new, or inspired you, please share it. Share it with your friends, your family, and your community. Let’s make sure these stories, and the lessons they carry, are never forgotten. Together, we can honor our past and build a future rooted in truth and liberation.​

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Sources

• Equal Justice Initiative. “Lynching of Black Veterans.” (eji.org)
• Al Jazeera. “The Forgotten Soldiers of France’s Colonial Armies.” (aljazeera.com)
• PBS. “The MOVE Bombing: 35 Years Later.” (pbs.org)
• Morrison, Toni. The Source of Self-Regard.
• Lorde, Audre. A Burst of Light: Essays.
• hooks, bell. All About Love: New Visions